Stephen Pollard

ByStephen Pollard, Stephen Pollard

Opinion

Hidden messages

January 25, 2008 24:00
1 min read

Writing hidden messages can be a very silly - and dangerous - thing to do: A Burmese poet known for his odes to love has been arrested after penning a Valentine's Day poem that carried a hidden message criticising the leader of the country's military junta, Senior General Than Shwe. The poet, Saw Wai, was arrested on Tuesday, a day after his poem "February 14" was published in the popular weekly magazine A Chit, or Love, according to friends and colleagues.

The poem is about a man broken-hearted after falling for a fashion model, whom he thanks for having taught him the meaning of love.

But if read vertically, the first word of each line forms the phrase: "Power crazy Senior General Than Shwe." (Thanks to Damian Counsell.)