In his office Major General Lee Bu Sun was busy studying the map of the Rakhain state. He had received news of terror suspects moving around Sittwe. So far, they couldn’t determine exactly which group those terror suspects belonged to. Lee suspected that they were Rohingyas. Lee wondered what their motives could be. Right Earlier, what her daughter had said to him echoed in him. A few days ago, Su wanted to tell him something. She seemed reluctant to address it directly. She was curious if his friends could turn out to be backstabbers. In politics everything was possible, that was Lee’s reply to Su. When Lee wanted to know why she had asked such a peculiar question, she said, she didn’t know why, but she had a hunch that in the end, his very friends could turn out to be his nemesis. She ended the conversation by telling him to remain alert about this possibility.
There seemed to be a connection between this abstract warning from his daughter and the movement of the terror suspects. Death was viewed as a constant companion in the profession he was, so he wasn’t really afraid of dying for his country. Lee stopped thinking about it and pressed the button of the intercom to fetch his adjutant. His adjutant looked very refreshing and cheerful. Earlier Captain Un had submitted an application, seeking permission for getting married. With his recommendation Lee forwarded the application to the army headquarters. Perhaps Captain Un was expecting good news from him.
The moment the adjutant entered his office, Lee asked, “Is there any directives from the army headquarters?”
“No sir, we did not get any directives from the army headquarters other than an advice to carefully watch the highway connecting Sittwe to Minbya. We’ve been advised to enhance the scope of our surveillance over it. I think army headquarters fears some sort of terror attacks from the extremist elements.”
“I couldn’t find any vital military installations on or around this highway.”
“They could target bridges or other civilian structures.”
“Yes, that’s true. You better do one thing. The barrack we have in Minbya, inform the commandant of it that the next Monday, I intend to go for an inspection of the barrack. Tell him to arrange for my lodging at the mission control centre over there. Before returning to Sittwe, I’ll spend couple of days over there. You manage an APC, a truck and a platoon of troops for escorting me.” Having noticed Un’s cheerful mood vanishing from his countenance, Lee smiled at him reassuringly, and said to him, “I don’t see any reason for you to be so disappointed. In time, you’ll get the good news from the army headquarters.”
Signs of embarrassment were obvious on Un’s countenance. In order to distract attention away from it, he said, “No sir, why should I be disappointed? As soon as possible, I’ll arrange everything for your visit to Minbya.”
When the month of Ramadan was over, at Baitul Omar, every night the discussion regarding the Rohingya crisis resumed in full swing. In the meantime, Su informed Rafiq about the plot of the extremist priest from Mandalay. Rafiq wanted to learn about the source of her information. She said, she would reveal it later. There was indication that the source might be someone inside the monastery.
On Friday, in Baitul Omar’s Hall Room, Rafiq drew Qadir and Solimulla’s attention, and informed them of the development in Mandalay. Instead of further discussing it in the clamor of the hall room, Solimulla took Rafiq and Qadir for a drive in his four-wheel. He stopped the vehicle when they had reached a quiet spot. He spread out a blanket on the ground so that they could sit down and discuss the matter. The hot and sunny days were followed by cool nights as the daily average temperature of Medina had begun to drop before the winter season in the deserts. It had a refreshing effect upon the residents who went through a rigorous day because of the hot sun.
On their way to the desert, Solimulla purchased a flask full of hot tea from a local restaurant. He poured the tea in small disposable cups. Offered them to Rafiq and Qadir, and took one for himself. After the first sip, he said to Rafiq, “Now tell us what else your wife has said.”
“They have been planning to hit a vital target, so that they can justify their drive against the Rohingyas.”
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Qadir said, “Is there any evidence that your wife is getting the right information?”
“In the voice recorder of his mobile, the monk who happens to be the source recorded the conversation between the priest from Aung Syke and the extremist priest in Mandalay. Su has heard the secret conversation. Apart from that, somehow this monk has managed to steal data from Win Thura’s computer. The data has revealed Win Thura’s prior connection with a company named Al Hayat. This company is neck deep in this heinous plot. Matter of fact, the funding and manpower for this diabolical project has been facilitated by this company. Arms and ammunition are to be provided by the vested quarter residing inside Tatmadaw.”
A kind of uneasy silence followed when Rafiq was done talking. Qadir sat with his head down, while Solimulla gazed at the stars above. It wasn’t clear whether he was stargazing or deeply thinking about something else. To Rafiq, their response to what he had said seemed weird, but he refrained from expressing his annoyance. The prolonged silence was broken when Solimulla asked Rafiq, “What did you say the name of the company was?”
“Al Hayat. Su’s informer has tried to locate the source of those messages. It was a futile attempt. He suspects, a Middle Eastern country must be the home of that company.”
Solimulla took a deep breath and said, “No one can trace this company because it’s a ghost company. However, a thorough search has revealed that the company operates a valid account with one of the commercial banks in Dubai. The bank has refused to disclose who operates the account or where the office of the company is. So, it’s safe to assume that those who are behind this ghost company are so powerful that not much cooperation could be expected from the bank. Every time we received funds from this company, it was through electronic fund transfer. So, there was no question of signature. Hence, it was difficult to trace the actual donor of the funds.” At this point Solimulla paused, and took a sip from his cup.
Rafiq was amazed, though the expression was not visible in the darkness of the night. In his voice, it could be sensed when he asked Solimulla, “How do you know so much about this company?”
“The owner of Baitul Omar has a pretty long arm as well. Anyway, we’ve decided, we will no longer deal with this donor. Temporarily, even if we face funding problem, Mr. Madani has assured me, he is going to make up for the lost revenue or opportunity whatever you call it. After all, he has no shortage of friends who want to donate generously for our cause.”
At this point, Qadir intervened, “Okay I understand that you guys are going to stop all your transactions with Al Hayat. But, will they let me off the hook so easily? With my assistance, already they’ve made contact with the rebels and funds to them have also been transferred. What am I to do now?”
“For a few weeks, simply disappear from Medina. Hide somewhere in Jeddah or Mecca.”
“What will happen to my job?”
“I’ll take care of that. Mr. Madani has friends in the committee which runs the Holy Mosque.”
“And what will happen to those Rohingya men in Arakan who have been recruited to do the dirty business for Mr. ‘S’?”
“Yes, that’s the question which troubles me. Perhaps Rafiq’s wife can help us out in this regard.”
“Don’t expect me to tell my wife to join the rebels,” Rafiq hissed.
With a smile Solimulla responded, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell you to force your wife to join the rebels. But secretly, if she can spmehow make the rebels listen to the audio recording, then no one would need to dissuade them. Own their own, they would turn away from Mr. ‘S’ and his wicked plot.”
“Having secret communication, and then playing the audio recording to them, is it really that simple?” Rafiq had to ask.
“It’s a daunting task, but not impossible. This much you have to do for your Rohingya brothers,” Solimulla asserted.
Soon afterwards they began folding the blanket when a strange incident occurred. Out of nowhere, two camels appeared at the scene. These four-legged desert hoppers stood by Solimulla’s four-wheel drive, and began licking the glass window and the roof of the vehicle. There were no haulters attached to their head or mouth. The Bedouins often released their camels so that they could graze freely in the desert. Prior to this occasion, Rafiq had never seen a camel so close. His curiosity drove him to the animals, and gently as he stroked their head and throat, they began licking his face. Qadir and Solimulla burst out in laughter while making fun of him. Without paying any attention to what they were saying, he said to them, “There was a time when these animals were the most reliable carriers in the desert. There’s no place in the desert where they can’t travel. They can sense the presence of quicksand and water from miles away. In a sack inside their throats, they have the ability to store water for weeks. Almighty has gifted these animals this ability, there’s no end to what He can do! I’ve heard that the camel which belonged to our Holy Prophet would prostrate before him whenever he was getting ready to travel. How fortunate that camel must have been. Sometimes I feel like my life would have been more meaningful had I been in that camel’s place.”
Solimulla shot back at Rafiq, “Actually, you’re a million times more fortunate. Therefore, express your gratitude to Him for giving you this great honor.”
“Of course, of course, but have we earned the honor to be his follower?”
After this statement, Qadir intervened, “Out of a billion Muslims, perhaps a handful of them would qualify to be his followers.”
“By saying so, we can’t just evade our responsibilities. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what we’ve been doing.”
Before getting into their vehicle, a gentle slap from Rafiq sent the two camels away from the spot. On their way back no more discussion took place among them. After returning to his mess, Rafiq kept wondering who the diabolical Mr. ‘S’ could be. Rafiq’s room mates were present in the mess, so he didn’t try to call Su. Later when it would be convenient for him, he was going to use his smart phone to communicate with her via face book. Both Su and Rafiq used alias names to avoid detection by Su’s father.