In his private chamber Win Thura waited for an hour for the breakfast period to be over. Before he left the dining hall, he had already taken his breakfast. Three of his most trusted disciples were with him. He told them about the presence of an informer in the monastery.
He explained, “Outsiders have come to know certain information they are not supposed to know. The private conversation I had with the priest from Aung Syke, they know everything about it too. What could be more unfortunate than this? I must uncover this spy who has been violating the sanctity of our monastery. I have a hunch, General Lee’s daughter has something to do with this.”
After this lamentation from their mentor, one of the disciples said, “If that is the case, you should be very strict about who has access to this chamber. You can’t just let everyone in.”
“Why does this lady want to meet Lin and Sa outside the monastery? Alright, tell them to meet her by the Irrawaddy at six in the evening. There’s an iron bench under a banyan tree. That’s a good spot for this meeting. Cho Khin, Chit Khin, Sao Maung, you three decide who’s going to do it. You are to hide in the tree. Listen to what they say, and then I’ll see what I should do.”
Cho Khin said, “Isn’t it a bit outdated? We could use tiny wireless microphone.”
“And who will provide me the high-tech gadget at this very moment? Do it the old-fashioned way. We don’t have time.”
“Okay, your reverence, we’ll do just that. But I’m quite uncomfortable having to interact with these spies,” Chit Khin whined.
“What interaction! They won’t even know your presence there. Stop whining and get to work.”
From their mentor’s chamber the three disciples went straight for the dining hall where Su had been having her breakfast with Lin and Sa. They were not done eating when the three showed up at the table. One of them whispered Win Thura’s message to Lin and Sa and hurried out of the dining hall. Subsequently, Lin said to Su that the next day they had spare time at dusk if she was interested in talking to them outside the monastery. He told her about a nice spot by the river where they could meet.
The next day prior to sunset, Su noticed Lin and Sa waiting for her at the designated spot. Su didn’t want them to understand that meeting them was not her actual motive. As quickly as possible, she completed her interview and sent them back to their monastery. Then she kept waiting for the enigmatic monk to appear at the scene. She was shaken by a sudden thump behind her. She could not help laughing when she saw the monk standing behind her.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
“I had forbidden you not to make contact, but you didn’t listen. It looks like you’re going to get me into plenty of troubles,” the monk complained.
“I must find out as soon as possible, exactly where and when Win Thura’s godfathers are planning to strike and who or what their target might be. I’m fearful that perhaps my father has become the target of these assassins. Apart from that, I’ve been told by my friends to expose this heinous plot before all hell broke loose in the country. But first of all, tell me who you are and why you’re doing it.”
“Did I not tell you that at least for the time being I cannot disclose to you who I am. Besides how will it help you if I tell you why I’m doing it?”
“Anonymous source of information lacks credibility. People want to know whether your information is credible, and for that we need to know your history.”
“Let’s assume that my name is Ko.”
“Why do we have to assume?”
“Because it’s not safe for me to reveal my real identity to you.”
“Is that so?”
“Yep!” He remained quiet for a while and then resumed, “Actually I’ve descended from my Kachin parents. During Tatmadaw’s drive against the Kachin rebels, my parents were killed, though they had no connections with the rebels. Amid an armed conflict with Tatmadaw, my father was forced by the rebels to provide shelter. It happened a long time ago. At the time, I was only fifteen. My father sent me away just before Tatmadaw captured our home. For two days and nights, I wandered in wilderness. The day I returned, I found my parents along with the rebels, dead. It was only after that I joined the rebellion. Instead of employing me as a fighter, they trained me for spying against Tatmadaw. I arrived at the monastery as a monk. My mission is to watch over Tatmadaw’s deep connection with Myanmar’s Buddhist priests. This is my history Win Thura is totally unaware of. I’m one of his most trusted lieutenants. Now I have to return to the monastery to report to Win Thura the details of your conversation with Lin and Sa. If you have farther inquiry, be quick with it.”
“Where do you think they’ll make those Rohingya rebels strike? What or who is their prime target?”
“They are going to strike somewhere in Minbya, most probably a military installation. The prime target has been designated as LBSM. I don’t know what that stands for. Anyway, time has run out. Please never ever try to make contact with me again. Stay well, good bye.”
This monk returned to the monastery and said to Win Thura, “Lin and Sa talked about a business tycoon in Dubai. They claimed that the tycoon had sent funds for a vital project. They didn’t mention the name of the project, but according to them, some high-ranking officers of Tatmadaw were involved in it.”
Win Thura didn’t waste any time after this. He expelled Lin and Sa from the monastery and gave strict direction to other monks never to discuss it with anyone. In a secret correspondence to his patron in Dubai, he reassured him that the informers who had infiltrated were identified and consequently thrown out of the monastery.
Su ate an apple before retiring to bed at night. She suffered mild insomnia as she could not stop thinking about LBSM. She reassured herself that it must be someone else, for her dad was in Sittwe and the rebels had been planning to attack something or someone in Minbya. Whomever they had been planning to assassinate, if it could be conveyed to the rebels that the whole thing was a mere plot, then the rebels might refrain from attacking. But how could she find the rebels? For a while, she tried to figure out. She was convinced, Rafiq’s acquaintance Qadir was the man who could do it. Su picked up her mobile. She was going to send an encrypted message to Rafiq.