Saving Fish from Drowning - Heal Burma

SAVING FISH FROM DROWNING
were always handing out peace prizes just to foment trouble. In pri­
vate thought, the ministers in charge of propaganda and patriotism
recalled that they had not handled the “situation” in the best possi­
ble way. They had closed ranks and swiftly stopped any displays of
support for The Lady. And that only added to the world’s dislike
of them. It was now very important how they dealt with this latest
challenge.
The Office of Strategic Studies was particularly perturbed and
wanted answers fast. The country’s “Visit Myanmar” campaign,
launched several years earlier, had never soared to the heights that
had been predicted, and was now in utter shambles. Hotel cancella­
tions were flooding the lines, and the already dismal twenty-five-to­
thirty-percent occupancy rate plummeted. The airlines reported that
planes were empty flying into Mandalay and Yangon, but were bulging
on the way out. As if that was not enough to bear, leaders from
ASEAN—Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and especially Japan—had
called the cabinet office to say it was advisable that Myanmar clear
up this delicate matter speedily and certainly before the next ASEAN
summit meeting. They were like a family in ASEAN, and this could
be a family embarrassment. Had it been a mistake to admit Myan­
mar into ASEAN? Should trade with Myanmar be curtailed, and
development aid suspended?
The Office of Strategic Studies met at all levels to discuss how to
deal with this “temporary situation.”
And luckily for Harry, the unexpected happened. At the risk of
sounding self-congratulatory, I admit that I had something to do
with it. I visited a few people in the Land of Sleep. I had discovered
that I could enter dreams quite easily with those who were predis­
posed to magic. As Rupert had said on the dock when showing his
card tricks, magic could happen, but you had to believe. Even in
the higher echelons of the Myanmar government, many believed in
Nats, ghosts, and signs. My idea was quite ordinary, anyone could
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