CHEMICAL WARFARE ORIENTATION OF PAVN 689TH BORDER SECURITY REGIMENT, FIFTH DIVISION; DEPLOYMENT OF THE 689TH BSR

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06157031
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2017
• Case Number: F-2012-01432
• Publication Date: September 15, 1982

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Td: DIR , DEPT OF STATE, DIA, TREASURY DEPT,
ZEN/WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM, ZEN/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
STAFF, ZEN/CIA OFFICE OF CURRENT OPERATIONS,
CINCPAC HONOLULU HI, CDRWESTCOM FT
SHAFTER HI, COMIPAC HONOLULU HI. CINCPACAF HICKAM AFE HI,
COMSEVENTHFLT, 134F CLARK AB PI.
SERIAL:
DIST:
PASS:
lb SbPIEMBER 1982
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
WARNING: INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE.
REPORT CLASSCONFIDENTIAL-WNINTEL--NOFORN
COUNTRY: VIETNAM/KAMPUCHEA
SUBJECT: CHEMICAL WARFARE ORIENTATION OF PAVN 689TH BORDER SECURITY
T OF THE 689TH BSR
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SUMMARY: IN MID-JULY 1982, THE TRAINING OFFICER OF THE PAVN
689TH BSR, FIFTH DIVISION, CONDUCTED A ONE-DAY CHEMICAL WARFARE
ORIENTATION FOR THE NEW RECRUITS AT THE BSR HEADQUARTERS LOCATED
AT THMA POK (TA 9042), BATTAMBANG PROVINCE, KAMPUCHEA. HE GAVE
DESCRIPTIONS OF THREE CHEMICAL AGENTS WHICH WERE FATAL TO THOSE
EXPOSED, INSTRUCTED THE RECRUITS ON HOW TO COUNTER THESE AGENTS, AND
ALSO DESCRIBED TWO CHEMICAL DEFOLIANTS. END SUMMARY.
1. IN MID JULY 1982, MORE THAN 250 RECRUITS OF THE PEOPLE'S
ARMY OF VIETNAM (PAVN) 689TH BORDER SECURITY REGIMENT (BSR),
FIFTH DIVISION, ATTENDED A ONE-DAY ORIENTATION ON CHEMICAL WARFARE
AT THE 689TH BSR HEADQUARTERS AT THRA POK (TA 9042), BATTAMBANG
PROVINCE, KAMPUCHEA. SECOND LIEUTENANT (FNU) ((DUONG)), A 33-YEAR
OLD NORTHERNER AND THE TRAINING OFFICER OF THE 689TH BSR, CONDUCTED
THE ORIENTATION. DUONG LECTURED ON THREE CHEMICAL AGENTS WHICH WERE
DESCRIBED AS LIGHT, MEDIUM, AND EAVY STRENGTH AND WHICH COULD
BE DELIVERED IN SHELLS OF HEAVY1ARTILLERY AND MORTARS, MINES, AND
GRENADES. THESE AGENTS WERE DESCRIBED AS USUALLY HAVING NO ODOR OR
COLOR AND AS HAVING NO APPARENT EFFECT ON VEGETATION. DUONG PREFACED
HIS LECTURE FOR THE NEW RECRUITS AS AN INTRODUCTION TO CHEMICAL
WARFARE AND HOW TO COUNTER ITS EFFECTS WHEN USED BY THE ENEMY.
2. THE LIGHT STRENGTH AGENT AFFECTED THE SKIN OF THE VICTIM
AND PRODUCED SORES WHICH WOULD EVENTUALLY SPREAD .ALL OVER THE BODY
AND CAUSE DEATH. /T WAS A COLORLESS, ODORLESS LIQUID WHICH WOULD
NOT MIX WITH WATER BUT WOULD DISSOLVE IN A CHEMICAL BASE SOLUTION.
MEDICAL TREATMENT OF THOSE EXPOSED TO THE LIGHT STRENGTH AGENT COULD
LAST AS LONG AS SIX MONTHS, AND EVEN AFTER THE TREATMENT, THOSE
EXPOSED WOULD BEAR BLACK AND BLUE MARKS AND ROUGH SKIN. THOSE WHO
SURVIVED EXPOSURE WOULD BECOME STERILE. DUONG CITED ONE WOMAN
WAREHOUSE MANAGER OF HIS FORMER UNIT WHO DID NOT TAKE THE PRECAUTION
OF WEARING A PROTECTIVE JACKET AND DEVELOPED SORES WHILE WORKING IN
A WAREHOUSE WHICH WAS USED TO STORE THIS MATERIAL. SHE WAS TREATED AT
THE HOSPITAL FOR SIX MONTHS AND RELEASED, BUT AFTER ONE MONTH, SHE
REDEVELOPED THE SORES. COMMENT: DUONG qm NOT IDENTIFY HIS
FORMER UNIT OR ITS LOCATION. THE FORM IN WHICH THESE CHEMICAL AGENTS
WERE STORED WAS ALSO NOT REVEALED.)
3. THE MEDIUM STRENGTH AGENT WAS ABSORBED THROUGH THE SKIN OR
THROUGH THE LUNG MEMBRANE WHEN INHALED. IT PRODUCED SYMPTOMS OF
DELIRIUM AND HIGH FEVER IN THOSE INDIVIDUALS EXPOSED AND WOULD CAUSE
DEATH WITHIN SEVERAL HOURS. ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION ON THOSE EXPOSED
WAS SUGGESTED AS FIRST AID.
4. THE HEAVY STRENGTH AGENT PRODUCED SYMPTOMS OF CRYING, HIGH
FEVER,- AND DELIRIUM -- LOSS OF MIND CONTROL CHARACTERIZED BY EXTREMELY
-AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR. DEATH OCCURRED 15 MINUTES AFTER EXPOSURE. A
VICTIM STOOD A VERY SLIM CHANGE OF SURVIVAL UNLESS HE OR SHE WAS GIVEN
IMMEDIATE MEDICAL ATTENTION.
5. TO COUNTER THE CHEMICALS, SOVIET GAS MASKS WERE TO BE
DISTRIBUTED. DUONG INSTRUCTED THE RECRUITS TO USE A WET HANDKERCHIEF
TO PREVENT INHALATION OF THE CHEMICALS IF GAS MASKS WERE NOT
AVAILABLE. THOSE EXPOSED WERE TO USE A SELF-ADMINISTERED INJECTION
OF AN ANTIDOTE WHICH WOULD BE ADMINISTERED IN THE THIGH. THIS WOULD
TEMPORARILY COUNTERACT THE AGENT W IL W
6. DURING THE ONE-DAY CHEMICAL WARFARE ORIENTATION, DUONG
ALSO DISCUSSED TWO TYPES OF CHEMICAL DEFOLIANTS. THESE ALSO
WERE DESCRIBED AS HEAVY AND LIGHT STRENGTH CHEMICALS. A SMALL
AMOUNT OF THE HEAVY STRENGTH CHEMICAL ON JUST A SMALL PORTION OF
THE LEAVES OF A TREE WAS CAPABLE OF DESTROYING THE WHOLE TREE.
THE LIGHT STRENGTH CHEMICAL AFFECTED ONLY THE AREA ON WHICH IT
WAS APPLIED. DUONG COMMENTED THAT HUMANS EXPOSED TO THIS
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CHEMICAL WOULD HAVE A HIGH PROBABILITY OF BEARING DEFORMED CHILDREN.
DUONG ALSO MENTIONED THAT THERE WAS AN INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT
PROHIBITING THE USE OF CHEMICAL DEFOLIANTS.
7. DUONG ALSO CONDUCTED SIMILAR CHEMICAL WARFARE ORIENTATION
DURING 9-11 AUGUST 1982 FOR THE NEW RECRUITS ARRIVING AT THE HEAD-
QUARTERS OF 212TH BATTALION, 689TH BSR, FIFTH DIVISION, LOCATED '
AT AMP1L LAKE (TA 7653), THMA POK DISTRICT, BATTAMBANG PROVINCE.
AS OF MID-AUGUST THE 19 MEN OF THE TRANSPORTATION PLATOON,
212TH BATTALION, HAD NOT RECEIVED GAS MASKS AND ONLY THREE MEN OF A
TOTAL OF SEVEN TO NINE MEN IN EACH INFANT 9Y SQUAD OF THE 212TH
BATTALION HAD RECFTVED nAc mACKc OMMENT:
THE GAS MASKS WHICH WERE
1S-SUED TO THE 212TH BATTALION, 689TH BSR, WERE MADE OF IVORY
COLORED PLASTIC.)
8. THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE 689TH BSR
(AKA - 8THBSR WAS LOCATED AT THMA POK (TA 9042), BATTAMBANG
PROVINCE, KAMPUCHEA. THE 689TH BSR WAS COMMANDED BY MAJOR (FNU)
((NET)), A 45-YEAR OLD NORTHERNER. AND CONSISTED OF THE 212TH,
THE 620TH, AND THE 416TH BATTALIONS.
A. THE 212TH BATTALION COMMANDED BY SENIOR CAPTIAN
NGO VAN ((SAU)), ALIAS SAU ((HANH)), A 40-YEAR OLD NORTHERNER,
WAS DEPLOYED AT LAKE AMPIL (TA 7653). THE BATTALION HAD
A STRENGTH OF 350 MEN AND WAS EQUIPPED WITH ONE H-12 (107MM) ROCKET
LAUNCHER.
B. THE 520TH BATTALION WAS LOCATED AT KANDOL VILLAGE
(TA 8446), THMA POK DISTRICT, BATTAMBANG PROVINCE
C. COMMENT:
THE 416TH BATTALION WAS
DEPLOYED AT SDAU VILLAGE (TA 7846), THMA POK DISTRICT, BATTAMBANG
' PROVINCE.)
10.
KtFURI CLASSCONFIDENTIAL/WARNING,NOTICE--INTELLIGENCE
qmprpc Awn Mr-rWnnc tmunium WIT ncirnc"1 E TO FOREIGN NATIONALS.
ALL PORTIONS CARRY
CLASSIFICATION AND CONTROLS OF OVERALL DOCUMENT.
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