Yangon: A Myanmar prison court sentenced a Buddhist abbot to seven years in prison, an opposition source said on Friday, as a UN rights envoy wrapped up a visit to the military-ruled nation.
Gaw Thita was arrested in August as he returned from a trip to Taiwan and convicted at Yangon`s notorious Insein Prison on Wednesday on three charges including unlawful association, the source said.
"He was sentenced to seven years` imprisonment on Wednesday at a special court in Insein Prison," Aung Thein, a former lawyer for the opposition National League for Democracy party, said.
"He was sentenced to three years under the Immigration Emergency Act, two years under the Unlawful Association Act and two years under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act. He has to serve the prison terms consecutively," he said.
Seven other monks arrested with Gaw Thita on August 26 at Yangon International Airport were later released without charge and the reasons for his initial detention were not clear, Aung Thein said.
PTI
