Operation Sandflies is an amazing story, will become an Andaman classic. I hope
some heads roll. I find it significant that the guy who seems to have ordered
the cleansing is in the Wildlife wing, of all places. If he was in, say, Health,
it would have made more sense. It calls into question the process by which these
departments are staffed.

This prompts me to share another Andaman VIP incident, which editors left out of
my book. The LG in question was a gifted manager, and is said to have
institutionalized corruption on the islands. That is, he fixed the percentage
takings for different activities (such as for the granting of a liquor license)
that would go to specific ranks of officialdom. He also had a critic imprisoned.
But this is in a lighter vein:


The crystal waters around Cinque Island are full of corals and colorful fish.
They belong to a marine reserve. Laws being meant for lesser men, the Lieutenant
Governor went fishing there.

The LG must have a good day. So when he cast his line from the launch, a diver
hopped over the far side. He picked up the end of the line and jiggled it in
front of a grouper's lips.

"I caught one so fast!" the LG exclaimed.

"Try again!" cheered his retinue.

Soon plenty of fish were gasping on board, and the diver got out of the water to
flip open one of the beers laid out for the party. The LG screamed, skidded
across the deck and slammed against the rails; his men jumped on him and held
him down, else he would've gone over.

A shark had caught a shark.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]