Former monk U Gambira, a prominent political prisoner and leader in the 2007 Saffron Revolution, has been detained by authorities in Mandalay on charges of illegal border crossing.
Police arrested Gambira, aka Nyi Nyi Lwin, at his hotel room late Tuesday night, according to his Australian wife Marie Siochana.
“The immigration officers are questioning him and will present him to the Maha Aung Myay Courthouse today [Wednesday],” a local police officer told the Irrawaddy.
They had traveled to Myanmar to apply for a passport for Gambira, who moved to Thailand following his release from prison in 2012.
Arrested after the 2007 uprising, he was stripped of his monk’s robes and allegedly tortured while behind bars.
According to his wife, he has schizophrenia and needs regular medication.
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