May 1, 2008 (DVB), Sayadaw Bhaddanta Kawvidabhivamsa, 81, chairperson of the International Burmese Monks Association, died of a heart attack on Tuesday at the Coney Island Hospital in New York.

U Kawvida, who was widely known as Masoeyein Sayadaw, became a monk when he was 19.

He was the abbot of Masoeyein monastery in Mandalay when he was jailed for three years by the SLORC government for his leading role in Burmese monks’ ex-communication boycott of government members in 1990 after the elections.

U Kawvida was chairperson of the Sasana Moli, also known as the International Burmese Monks' Assocation, which was established after the September 2007 monk-led protests to raise international awareness about Burma's sitution and lobby foreign governments for assistance.

Monk U Sandawbatha, who was U Kawvida’s aide, said he passed away on Tuesday at 1.07pm.

"Sayadaw collapsed and lost consciousness while he was resting in his monastery after his early morning meal on Tuesday," he said.

"He was immediately sent to Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn but they said his brain had already stopped working."

U Kawvida’s funeral will be held on Monday.

Reporting by Aye Nai