Lee was well acquainted to Than Kin as he had played an important role in preparing the field in Ruthi Daung for the drive against the Rohingyas. Captain Un showed the monk the way to Lee’s office room. The discussion commenced after a formal exchange of greetings. By ten in the morning the temperature outside was already way above ninety degrees, so the air conditioner was turned on to keep the atmosphere of the office room comfortably cool. When Lee looked at Than Kin’s sweaty appearance, it seemed like the priest needed to cool down. However, when the priest began talking it became clear that something about Lee’s daughter was the source of his anxieties, though he had begun his conversation by praising Su’s beauty, wit and gentle nature. What Su said during the interview came up in the next stage. Than Kin said, “That Rohingyas are alien to this land, that they are the source of the anarchy we have been facing, I have a feeling, your daughter finds these facts unacceptable. She isn’t supposed to worry what will happen to the Rohingyas if they’re expelled from this land, but I’m afraid she does. I keep asking myself, why does she feel so passionately for these Rohingyas?”
Su had already talked to her dad about it. In line with that conversation with his daughter, Lee said to the priest, “To this war on terror, there’s a global aspect as well. We have to proceed with this task in such a way so that our image abroad does not suffer. That we’re aware of their rights, that we seek harmony with them, if these facts are uttered by the minorities themselves, our image in the global arena remains untouched.”
“But these Rohingyas are not minorities, they are outsiders.”
“Yes, that is our official stand, but some western nations don’t accept it. They want to exploit this fact for political reasons. Therefore, we must be alert. In order to assist us in this, Su has taken up a project.”
Than Kin had hoped that for the sake of their country’s security, Lee wouldn’t compromise. However, having heard Lee’s full statement, his high hopes evaporated like vapor. It would be embarrassing if he expressed his disappointment. Hence, he ended his conversation with Lee by praising Su’s efforts and portraying her virtues with some extra adjectives. When he stepped out of Lee’s office room, it was like stepping into fire. On top of the hot spell, the pain of not getting from Lee what he had expected, only aggravated his torment. He told himself that life was never meant to be a bed of roses. It had its high points and low points. So, he buried his disappointment and began heading for his temple at Aung Syke.
Through her bedroom window, Su stared at the street outside. How long she was going to stay in that house? She was being haunted by this question. For the time being, she put on hold her plan to migrate to Malaysia. She had to be in the country for a few more days. Something awful was about to happen. The masterminds were at work from behind the scene. It was difficult to have a clear idea about them before that terrible moment. Early in the morning, the enigmatic monk had called her, he said he would visit her later in the day. He wouldn’t travel so far if he hadn’t possessed vital information to convey to her. She noticed their guard leaving the gate for their living room. From her window she asked the approaching guard if anyone wanted to see her. He said, the monk who visited her a few days ago, wanted to talk to her.
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With the monk, Su went back to the same spot by the lake Inya where they had talked the last time. The monk’s head and face were always cloaked with his robe, so she never had the opportunity to clearly see his countenance. He had a spot where his forehead merged with the right ear. Every time she looked at him, it attracted her attention. The monk realized this and said to her, “In time, you’ll get to know my identity. Don’t worry about it now.”
It was already dark by the lakeside. In darkness, the monk seemed to be in a comfortable mood. He removed the cloak from his head before reclining in the bench. He could tell that Su was eagerly waiting to hear what he had to say. He turned to her and said, “What I feared has come true. Win Thura has connections abroad. I went through his e-mails and discovered this foreign connection. In a mail from a company named Al Hayat, he has been told that necessary manpower was in place. Financial transaction took place through a foreign bank in Yangon, but the local agents must provide arms to those men. Win Thura is to find out and convey to the company who or what the target is. In Myanmar, what kind of trade benefits the company will enjoy, before the clandestine operation is to take place. This mail was sent to Win Thura a month ago. It’s clear from this mail that Win Thura is just an intermediary. It’s also an indication that someone very powerful is involved in it, because a monk like Win Thura does not have the capacity to facilitate privileges which can only be bestowed by the state. Then, fifteen days later Win Thura sent a mail to this company which was addressed to a man named Mr. Saturn. Through that correspondence, Mr. Saturn was informed about the arms delivery. The target has been designated as LBSM. The time of the operation is yet to be finalized, but once it is decided, Mr. Saturn will be informed right away.” The monk stopped after saying this much.
Su wanted to ask something, but there were signs of hesitation. In the end, she came out clean with it. She said, “How did you get hold of Win Thura’s e-mails and…”
The monk didn’t let Su finish, before that he said, “Didn’t I tell you, when it’s time I’ll let you know? Now tell me, who’s this LBSM?”
“If it didn’t have ‘M’ at the end, I would have said Lee Bu Sun,” Su whispered to the monk.
“Perhaps it has no meaning at all. The purpose is to create confusion.”
“It might mean Myanmar, who knows.”
“Yep, it might well be the case. I think you should immediately warn your father about this plot.”
“What will I say, when he’ll ask me about the source of my information?”
“Tell him you received the information from a confidential source. Journalists are supposed to keep their source confidential, aren’t they? Use this to keep it from him.”
“I don’t want to get into this. Dad is a very stubborn man. There’s no telling, he might even show up at the newspaper office. Instead of warning him, perhaps I should give him a hint of what might happen.”
Suddenly the western sky lit up like a florescent lamp. The cool gust of wind, rustle of the leaves, conveyed to them the news of an imminent storm. The monk gazed in that direction, and murmured, “It looks like we’re going to have a storm tonight. Anyway, it’s time for me to go. Remember, your father’s life is at risk. If the plot involved only the extremist elements, I wouldn’t be so worried. I think someone very powerful or a group which controls the state apparatus, is trying to hunt down two birds with a single shot. There are quite a few generals in Tatmadaw who are not really happy to see your father rise in their ranks.”
When the monk was done talking, he stood up from his bench and began walking. After taking a few steps, he stopped abruptly, and turned around. Su was still in her bench. He retraced his steps back to her and asked, “By the way, why are you so sympathetic towards those Rohingyas?”
Su remained silent for a few seconds, and then replied, “I do it for the sake of love. I do it for the sake of humanity. This is the message of peace and fraternity Buddha preached. Some are very loud in claiming that they are his only true followers. Instead of screaming, I try to practice what he preached.”