Warning: This isn’t a movie review.

Last evening, I was watching Marilyn Monroe’s 1954 Western, “River of No Return.”

For those who haven’t seen it and who will never watch Westerns like I do, a short summary will be necessary so here it is.

Robert Mitchum is robbed of his horse and his gun by Rory Calhoun, who is in a hurry to ride to Council City to file a claim to one of the gold mines there. To make things worse, the Indians are coming for Mitchum’s scalp and Monroe’s.

Their only means of escape is through a turbulent river on a raft and he has no choice but to take it.

The going is good until they reach a point of the river, where Monroe is informed by him, “The Indians call it the River of No Return. From here on, you’ll see why.”

The point of no return, she soon discovers, is a series of treacherous rapids, after which they are not able to return to where they start out if they want to.

The rest is typical Western, so I won’t bother your time with it.

But my point is that before reaching the rapids, both have a choice either to turn back or stop over at a bank. However, after they get to the rapids, the only choice left for them is to go through them or perish.

I think this Wild West analogy fits with what’s taking place in Burma / Myanmar.

The regime is certainly taking the right path and it is in need of all the assistance it can muster. But the question is if the cavalry arrives, are we sure it will continue it way to where we want it?

My own answer may be dumb. But I think this is the only way we can help Burma/ Myanmar:

We will have to keep harassing the regime from both sides of the river, so it dares not stop. We must also do what we can so it reaches and goes beyond the point of no return. After that we can stop worry whether it is going to change its mind again, because there’s no way it can return.

The only question remains: Where is the point of no return for Burma / Myanmar?

To answer that, I think we can all come together and discuss. Then we can all go and help to make sure the reforms are irreversible. After that, it’s time to make way for the people who have for so long been against the sanctions.