Saving Fish from Drowning - Heal Burma

AMY TAN
Anzenberger bunched his eyebrows and glanced at his colleagues.
“Mr. Bailley,” he said. “Belinda Merkin is a reporter with Global
News Network. She’s been there for a number of years. And she did
give some interesting footage to her employer. It aired last night on
the international broadcasts and caused quite a stir. Shall we watch?”
Twenty minutes later, Harry sat in a stupor. Was he dreaming? Did
he have malaria? None of this made sense. It was the same tape, all
right. Had Roxanne given out several of them? And that vixen Be­
linda. Kindergarten teacher! Bet they had a laugh over that one!
Anzenberger was speaking to him. He said they would now show
him some other footage, the aftermath.
“A ND NOW from GNN headquarters in New York, the latest on the
Missing Eleven and their new role as freedom fighters for democ­
racy. . . .” What followed were quick scenes from cities all across
America, holding what looked to Harry to be parades. There were
rallies and demonstrations, with marchers carrying placards and
banners: “Free the American Eleven,” “Hurrah, Freedom Fighters,”
“Go, Karens, Go,” and one that said “Nuke SLORC.” There were
shots of vigils and fasts in Tokyo, Oslo, Madrid, and Rome, and in
Germany, a silent march where candles illuminated poster-sized pho­
tos of the missing carried by demonstrators—and pictures not just
of the American Eleven but of Burmese students, journalists, and
supporters of the National League for Democracy as well. A thou­
sand photos of the missing. A thousand of the dead. A sea of people.
“As support for the American Eleven grows,” the anchor said, “so
do denouncements of the Burmese military regime around the globe.
People in many nations are calling upon their governments to do
something. We’ll be talking soon to foreign policy experts on what
this might mean in regard to U.S. relations with Burma—and yes,
that is what people are going back to calling the country that was re­
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