Prominent Historian Monk Arrested in Sittwe

Sittwe: Burmese military authorities on Tuesday arrested prominent

Arakanese historian monk Ramar Waddy U Pyinya Sara in Sittwe,
the capital of Arakan State, on accusations that he abused
Buddhist religious principles, said another monk from Sittwe.
Speaking to Narinjara over the phone, the monk who wished to
remain anonymous said, "A combined force of police and officials
from the religious department arrested him at his monastery in
Sittwe on the morning of Tuesday on accusations of breaking
religious principles."
U Pyinya Sara is a well known Arakanese historian as well as a
leading abbot of the Buddha Vihara Mahamuni orphanage, where
more than 100 orphans live and receive an education.
"I went to police station No. 1 to inquire about his arrest but the
police official could not provide me with the real facts of his arrest.
I was unable to see him at the police station as the authorities are
not detaining him there," said the monk.
The authority brought him to an unknown location in Sittwe after
his arrest.
A trustee in the monastery said, "The authority told us the reason
for his arrest is that he was living with a woman against the
religious law. But I do not believe the accusations of the authority
and strongly believe his arrest was related to politics."
As U Pyinya Sara is a respected historian, he always reveals the
history of Arakan through articles published in journals and
magazines. The authority, however, sees this as behavior against
solidarity of the union.
It was learned that residents of Sittwe are eager to know the reason
behind the arrest of U Pyinya Sara after reports of his arrest began
spreading in the city.

Arrested Monk Refuses to Eat

2.08.2010

Sittwe: Ashion Pyinya Sara, an Arakanese historian monk who was

 arrested by military authorities on allegations of impropriety, has
refused to eat since 27 July, when authorities detained him in
Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, reported a town elder.
He said, "I heard through an inside police source that Ashion
Pyinya Sara has refused to take food since he was arrested by
authorities. He is now in serious condition due to not eating for a
long time."
57-year-old Ashion Pyinya Sara is being detained at Sittwe No. 1
police station for interrogation, without any formal remand from the
court.
"There are many reports that he has been tortured severely by
authorities during the interrogation. Since he was arrested, he has
been brought to the interrogation cell several times where
authorities questioned and tortured him. However, he has remained
silent and not offered any information," the source said.
U Pyinya Sara is a well known Arakanese historian as well as a
leading abbot of the Buddha Vihara Mahamuni orphanage in
suburban Sittwe, where more than 100 orphans live and receive an
education.
The military authority arrested him on charges that he was living
with a woman against religious law, that he has been involved in
politics, and that he buried many children in the orphanage
compound without notifying authorities.
According to a local source, the authority arrested the monk soon
after some officials from the NGO Martayzar, which provides food
and educational support for children and women, complained to
the military authority in Sittwe.
One analyst in Sittwe said, "The arrest of U Pyinya Sara is a little
strange and different because the army's second commander of the
Western Command himself participated in the arrest along with
many soldiers. The allegations and arrest are not an army concern,
but army officials were still involved in the arrest. It shows what
authorities wanted to arrest him."
The army authority also seized many precious ancient antiques
from the library of the orphanage, including ancient silver and gold
Arakanese coins, Buddha statues, and palm-leaf inscriptions that
 have been collected by Ashion Pyinya Sara over the years.
Ashion Pyinya Sara is a respected historian who often revealed the
history of Arakan through articles published in journals and
magazines. The authority, however, sees this as behavior against
the solidarity of the union.
It was learned that some Sittwe residents believe the authorities'
accusations against Ashion Pyinya Sara, but others believe the
charges are baseless.