June 29: The health condition of political prisoner Saw Win who has been serving a lengthy jail-term at Kalemyo Prison, Sagaing Division in northwest Burma, is continuing to deteriorate, according to his mother.

Saw Win has been suffering from severe back pain since early this year and he is also starting to suffer gastric complaints, according to his mother, Mya Yi who went to see him at the prison recently.

“I have this stabbing pain in my back, he said. It is like being prodded with a stick…I also bought medicines for him. The doctor said it is his back and liver. If it is liver, he should be bloated, but he is not. I think it is the consequence of the tortures he received. It must be he was tortured when he was arrested. they didn’t go away completely. He is thin. And he lost weight. He also lost his appetite. He said it feels gastric disease.”

As there is no prison doctor at Kalemyo, Saw Win’s diseases are unlikely to be cured completely, Mya Yi insisted. She also expressed concerns for her son. Similarly, another long-term political prisoner at Kalemyo Prison, Aye Aung is also suffering from gastric complaints due to the dire quality of food served inside the prison.