Feb 19, 2010 (DVB)-A Buddhist monk arrested last year at Rangoon’s international airport was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment by the Rangoon western district court on Wednesday.

Venerable U Gawthita of Nga Htat Gyi Leikpyakan monastery in Bahan township was arrested on 26 August after returning from a missionary tour in Taiwan.

"He was arrested with seven other monks… and sentenced under the emergency immigration act, unlawful association act and for keeping foreign currency," a lawyer Aung Thein said.

Seven other monks were allowed to change money at the airport while U Gawthita was unable to do so and arrested for possessing foreign currency, he added.

"The other monks were released and they could change money, and there is no evidence that he joined any association in foreign countries, and you can’t say that he reentered the country illegally because he came out of the country with a Burmese passport and reentered [the country] through Mingaladon airport with the Burmese passport."

Aung Thein said the monk’s lawyer Kyaw Htay will appeal the sentence.

U Gawthita was actively involved in providing help to victims of Cyclone Nargis which devastated the delta region of lower Burma in 2008.

Burmese authorities also jailed some charity workers, mainly opposition party members, who helped the people in the past when they were deemed to be challenging their authority.

Reporting by Ye May Aung