(A story based on true events)
A young man in his early twenties was typing a resignation letter on his personal laptop. He was overwhelmed by frustration and anxiety, and filled with nothing but immense regret for his actions, which he could no longer undo.
Chapter 1
A Path Paved with Flowers
One could say that the young man named Thura was lucky. Right after finishing high school, he immediately got a job as a Protocol Officer at the Thailand-based Italian-Thai Company. Although he was happy to get the job, he didn't even know what a Protocol Officer did; he had never even heard of the position. A Thai woman, whom he had known since childhood as a friend of his father when his father was a government official in Myanmar, was now a director at that company. She was fond of him like a nephew and had hired him out of respect for his parents.The next day, he rode his black Kawasaki Ninja 2 motorcycle to a spacious compound on Inya Road in Yangon. At the front of the large compound stood an old, two-story colonial-style house. Within that compound, behind a second gate, was a modern three-story building. This large compound was the Myanmar branch office of the Italian-Thai Company,
As soon as I arrived under the portico of the main house, a young man ran out and asked if I was Ko Thura. I just nodded. "Madam isn't here, she just went back to Bangkok this morning. Ko Banyar is waiting for you upstairs," he said, so I followed him.
Oh, when I met U Banyar in the room at the top of the stairs and he said, "Come, sit," I sat down in a chair, realizing it was the U Banyar I knew. Since I was young, whenever my Thai auntie (my current employer) came to the house, U Banyar was the one who drove her. I was fond of him just as I was of my auntie. Whatever the case, I felt encouraged.
"Uncle, I don't know anything, please help me out a bit," I said.
"Don't you worry about a thing. You have to take over my job now. It’s a perfect fit for you young people. Don't worry, for the matter of the two groups, I'll work with you before I retire," he replied.
"Uncle, are you retiring for good from your job?" I asked.
"Yes, of course. I'm over 60 now. What? Did you think I was a kid?" he joked. "You will have to take over this room. I'll give you advice. The old lady is yours to handle. After working for a month or two, there's a room downstairs where the former chairman of the Yangon Company used to sit. Just say you want to move to that room; you should move. The room is exceptionally decorated. Here, the old lady's office is just across the way, so if anything comes up, she tends to easily call out 'Banyar, Banyar,' so it would be like having two jobs as her assistant."
That day, we didn't talk much about work. During lunchtime, we ended up drinking beer at a restaurant, and in the evening, I went home. In the following days, as U Banyar taught and explained things to me, I realized that my job responsibility was very similar to that of a tour guide. The slight difference was that before the guests arrived, I had to meet in advance with the divisional commanders and ministers they wanted to see upon their arrival, and to ensure everything went smoothly, I had to meet with the office chiefs beforehand and give them large, substantial gifts.
Once the meeting dates were confirmed and hotel bookings were made, I had to type up a trip schedule plan, detailing everything from the day they arrived until the day they departed, noting the date and time, down to details like avoiding MSG and arranging special meals for those with diabetes. It even included taking them to nightclubs at night. I came to learn that this job was given the title of "Protocol Officer." In the beginning, being smartly dressed at every club started to feel like part of the job.
The Dark Side of the Fishing Industry (2)
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Chapter (2)
Selling dog meat with goat's head tied to it.
For Thura, using fax and email, along with programs like Excel and Word, was as natural as eating a meal. His typing skills were on par with a DTP operator. So, he sent a fax to the Thai head office detailing the business and investment opportunities in Myanmar, along with the personal information and a copy of the passport of the person who would be visiting. The rest of the arrangements were up to him. For example, let's say the objective was to explore opportunities for jade and gem mining in Myanmar.
Under normal circumstances, one could seek guidance from: (1) U Hla Myint, also known as Colonel Hla Myint, at the Nawarat Hotel, or (2) Ko Kyaw Win Oo, the son of Brigadier General Kyaw Win, the Director of the Directorate of Defence Services Procurement.
For the current matter, Ko Kyaw Win Oo had already made a call to the Office Head of the Ministry of Mines, a position equivalent to an Inner Secretary in modern terms. This role involved direct contact with the Minister, the Director-General, and all other directors. It was understood to be on par with a Director-level position or a Lieutenant Colonel, with an office within the Minister's wing. When dealing with the military and government departments, one had to speak sweetly and tactfully. However, based on the instructions from the person who provided the guidance, you had to make it happen, no matter what. You had to strive for the best possible outcome. For instance, if U Hla Myint said, "I've already spoken to Khin Nyunt, you just go and talk to the minister," you would respectfully go to the minister with a gift basket and say, "Minister, this is based on the guidance of U Hla Myint and General Khin Nyunt, so I would like the permit to be issued this month. This is the instruction I was given." You had to get the job done in one go.
Then, the relevant directors would provide a pile of application forms and maps. Once those were received, a report would be sent to the Thai businessperson detailing which parts of Myanmar produce jade and gems, the tax rates, the business operation models, the potential duration of the application process, and so on. If they gave the okay, a formal request for a meeting with the Minister would be submitted on behalf of the foreign national. Once the meeting date was confirmed, a fax would be sent to the Thai businessperson with the date they needed to arrive in Yangon. When they sent back a copy of their flight ticket, a detailed trip schedule was created. This schedule included everything from the airport pickup time, the hotel and room number, where and when they would have dinner, visits to pagodas and the Bogyoke Market, the meeting at the Minister's office, and finally, the drop-off time at the airport.
This detailed schedule was sent to Thailand. Sometimes, they might request changes, for example, to visit the Thai embassy during its opening hours. During that time, I would be at my office. Copies of the final schedule were then sent to the Thai boss, "Aunty," and Ko Kyaw Win Oo. With that, the preparatory tasks before their arrival were considered complete.
Now, let me elaborate a little on the jade and gem mining business. Once we met with the Minister and started the necessary work, the file was handed over to another person on our team, the Operations Officer. My work, on the other hand, involved a variety of other potential projects: orange groves, animal feed production, and freshwater fish farming. It was quite a mix.
Later, while having drinks with friends, I asked how the jade and gem venture went. "Was it successful?" I inquired.
The way he answered was telling. "Successful or not, I can't say for sure. But I can tell you that hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit were deposited into our office account."
My eyes widened. "What? How?" I pressed.
"Thura, don't ask so many questions. Do you want a Blue Label? I'll order. It's not on me, by the way. The 'old lady' [referring to the Thai boss] told me to treat you as well."
Only then, after much probing, did he explain how they made the profit. "You see, in the mining business, you don't just start digging. You have to conduct surveys and tests to see if it's commercially viable. To enable them to start their work, our team went in with machinery from the Thai side to clear the land. In the process, we cut down and sold all the teak trees growing there. We cleared the land and even built an access road for their research team before coming back."
"Wow," I thought, "how many teak trees were there?"
"Don't ask that," he said.
I thought to myself, "It seems they cleared the entire mountain until it was bald."
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