In Burma, openly criticising the military junta can be fatal. Over the years, hundreds of people have been rounded up, tortured and locked away in notorious prisons throughout the country. Some have paid with their lives. In early September 2007, a groundswell of public discontent led by monks saw thousands demonstrate on the streets of Yangon. Scores of people, including writers and journalists, were detained in what is now known as the Saffron Revolution.

To escape the ever-watchful eye of the junta in the aftermath of the revolution, dissident writers in Burma have refined wellknown creative techniques to get their messages past the censors and into the community. One such writer is the leading poet and performance artists Saw Wei.

Well-known in his native country for his romantic poems and performance art pieces, Saw Wei was jailed for two years in November 2008 for inducing crime against public tranquillity. His detention stemmed from an eight-line love poem, entitled February the Fourteenth. The poem describes a man who is left broken-hearted after being rejected by a model. However, on closer inspection, the poem carries a hidden criticism of General Than Shwe, head of Burmas ruling military junta.

When the first letters of each line of the poem are read vertically, it says General Than Shwe is crazy with power in Burmese. In a twist of irony, Saw Weis deception was so good, it passed through the Burmese censors prior to its publication in the Yangon weekly Love Journal. News of the poem spread quickly by word of mouth throughout Burma, and the magazine sold out. Human rights observers knew that Saw Wei was in trouble. As far as the military junta was concerned, the damage already was done, because Saw Wei had breached Burmas notorious Press Scrutiny and Registration Board (PSRB) and successfully broadcast a message of political dissent.

Saw Wei is one of more than 2,100 political prisoners who include monks, students, elected members of parliament and lawyers. This is almost double the number prior to the Saffron Revolution. People are detained for their involvement in democracy-related activities and peaceful demonstrations. Distributing just one pamphlet can result in a sentence of seven years with hard labour, and without a fair trial. In October 2008, the regime began to sentence hundreds of activists to hard-labour prison terms, of up to 104 years. In November, the regime began to transfer political prisoners to jails across the country, separating them from their families who must provide food and medicines. This is a new psychological tactic by the junta, to punish high profile activists by moving them to the most remote prisons.

Saw Weis wife is Nan San San Aye, a famous cook and recipe book author. She has not been able to visit Saw Wei since his arrest on 22 January 2008, and is deeply concerned for his health. During his trial, Saw Wei was unable to maintain a single position for long periods of time due to pain. He is jailed in Insein Prison, notorious worldwide for its inhumane and dirty conditions, abusive techniques, and use of mental and physical torture.