MONTHLY REPORT--BANGKOK BUREAU--JANUARY 1983

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86-00040R000100190011-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 31, 2008
• Sequence Number: 11
• Publication Date: February 1, 1983
• Content Type: MEMO

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MBK-002
1 February 19.83
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director, Foreign Broadcast Information Service
THROUGH Chief, Operations Group
SUBJECT Monthly Report -- Bangkok Bureau -- January 1983
I. GENERAL
A. The always-present coup rumors in Thailand gained credibility
in January due to the military establishment's inability thus far to
reconvene Parliament to push through constitutional amendments which
would preserve much of the military's control over the political situation.
While some political leaders were engaged in a lengthy and frustrating
attempt to collect enough signatures from MP's to reopen Parliament,
reports were floated that Army Commander in Chief Athit Kamlang-ek had
put the Army on alert on 14 January. Athit subsequently directly called
for reconvening of Parliament and on 20 January made an unscheduled TV
appearance -- monitored by Bangkok Bureau shortly after it started -- in
which he resigned his seat in the Senate. This was shortly followed by
the resignations from the Senate of nine other military leaders. An
announcement was made on 31 January that the necessary number of signatures
for reopening of Parliament had been registered, and political leaders were
reportedly working behind the scenes to reach a compromise and tone down
public polemics. However, concern continues that the spring Parliamentary
elections -- which will mark the first successive elections in Thai history
without an intervening coup -- could be nullified by another military
takeover.
B. The bureau has been closely covering the apparent crumbling of
the foundations of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's political power in
India since her party's resounding defeat in three Indian State elections
early this month. Since the defeat, Gandhi has temporarily given up her
party position and reshuffled her Cabinet to provide at least the facade
of a political cleanup of her administration and party in anticipation of
elections in Delhi and strife-torn Assam.
C. Kampuchea's Prince Sihanouk made a surprise visit to Thailand 25-29
January during which he met the Thai King and other Thai and regional
officials, went into Kampuchea to chair a Democratic Kampuchean coalition
Cabinet meeting, entertained the local press corps with his flamboyant
chatter and padded the bureau's file.
D. On 18 January the bureau covered what could be considered a typically
Thai-style plane hijacking in which three men (one reportedly a disgruntled
government employee) hijacked a domestic flight traveling between the northern
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towns of Lampang and Chiang Mai and tried to have ,.ne plane diverted to
the nearby town of Chiang Rai. The whole concept behind the hijacking
raised eyebrows, as the airfare between Lampang and Chiang Mai and
Lampang and Chiang Rai are comparable, and the hijacking was generally
considered an updated version of a stagecoach holdup. The airplane pilot
landed in Chiang Mai, and he and the copilot "fled the scene" through
the cockpit window following which the hijackers commandeered a car,
broke through a supposedly tight police cordon and disappeared into the
hills. Two have been arrested.
A. Monitorial/Editorial
1. Following a worldwide alert on the anticipated fall of a
nuclear-powered Cosmos 1402 satellite, the bureau sent a flash on
22 January from a normally unmonitored Colombo Radio cast on the
reported grounding of a piece of the satellite in Sri Lanka and followed
up on 24 January with more conclusive reports that the satellite had come
down harmlessly in the Indian Ocean near Diego Garcia. On 31 January
Columbo Radio announced the object of the earlier report was a flare
from a fireworks display.
2. The bureau hit paydirt on the first FSL it has filed in two
years -- Bangkok TV coverage of the Thai King's New Year address -- the
ordering of which has prompted the bureau to regularize video monitoring
procedures. The bureau has been studying the Bangkok TV 1300 GMT cast
with a view to adding this program to coverage when and if monitoring
arrangements can be made during this currently fully subscribed coverage
period. Indications thus far are that TV does occasionally carry exclusive
fileworthy material.
3. Senior Edito began weekly review sessions on STAT
monitorial procedures/editorial sty a and format on 26 January. Attendance
is voluntary, but nearly all monitors free to do so attended the first
session which dealt with comparison FYI's,
A. Personnel
1. Senior Editor) was promoted to GS-12 effective
13 January. The promotion was announced at a bureau social hour in the
chief's office.
2. Vietnamese monitor
on 9 January, and, not to be
pstaged,
became the father of a boy
gave birth to their first child, a girl, on 17 January.
B. Buildings and Grounds
1. Construction of two new monitoring booths in the area once used
for monitor files and duplicating equipment has been completed. The booths
will be occupied by the Indonesian/Malay unit. One booth is equipped with
the new MACP replacement amplifier for trial use.
2. The bureau executive offices have been reconfigured to give
STAT
STAT
STAT
STAT
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-.s-
more space to the deputy chief, who can now come out from behind the pillar
supporting the roof.
3. The bureau's three office vehicles are being equipped. with
Motorola mobile communcations units . When the system is fully operational
the bureau will be able to contact its vehicles anywhere within the city
limits and at the remote site.
4. George Larson, Embassy security officer, visited the bureau
12 January to help with plans for installing grillwork on a security
door at the bureau entrance.
A. An official from the Japanese Embassy visited on 12 January, by
request of our Embassy political section, and discussed the general outlook
for communications satellite technology with the bureau chief and chief
engineer.
B. DAO/TLO Chief John Eastman and Deputy Chief Tom Johnson and three
senior-level visitors from Washington toured the bureau on 24 January.
STAT
were feted at a 28 January reception STAT
by the pool at the bureau chief's apartment. Ambassador John Gunther Dean
is hosting a cocktail reception fo at the Embassy residence on STAT
12 February. STAT
AEB:mk
Attachment:
Production Report
Ghiet
FBIS, Bangkok Bureau
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BANGKOK BUREAU PRODUCTION REPORT FOR JANUARY 1983
I. TOTALS FROM ALL SOURCES
TOTAL PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MONTHt
TOTAL NON-PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MONTH:
TOTAL NUMBER OF PUBLISHABLE ITEMS FILED DURING MONTH;
II. INPUT OF REGULAR COVERAGE:
(minutes or issues per week)
III. OUTPUT FROM ALL SOURCES,
publishable words per month)
AFGHANISTAN
Kabul KABUL NEW TIMES in
English
Melbourne Overseas Service in
English
Sydney THE AUSTRALIAN in
English
Sydney THE BULLETIN in
English
Sydney THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN in
English
15,095 ( 15,095)
min.
6,730 ( 7,740)
Dhaka Domestic Service in
Bengali
0 (
Dhaka Domestic Service in
English
4,800 (
Dhaka SANGBAD in
Bengali
Dhaka THE BANGLADESH OBSERVER in
English
Dhaka Overseas Service in
English
910)
3,600)
0
190 (
0)
1,010)
Rangoon Domestic Service in
Burmese
4,040 (
Rangoon BOTATAUNG in
Burmese
Rangoon LOKTHA PYEITHU NEZIN in
Burmese
Rangoon MYANMA ALIN in
Burmese
Rangoon WORKING PEOPLE'S DAILY in
English
1,550)
0
0 (
0 (
0 (
0)
150)
110)
160)
Beijing in
Bengali to India and Pakistan 0
0)
Beijing in
Burmese to Burma 400 (
0)
Beijing in
Cambodian to Kampuchea 6,120 (
8
480)
Beijing in
Hindi to South Asia .300 (
,
0)
Beijing in
Indonesian to Indonesia 0 (
0)
Beijing in
Lao to Laos
0 (
490)
Beijing in
Malay to Malaysia 0
0)
Beijing in
Thai to Thailand 0
0)
Beijing in
Urdu to India and Pakistan 0
0)
635,020 (507,020)
225,770 (215,270)
1,386 ( 1,186)
PRESS AGENCIES PUBLICATIONS
20,085 ( 20,085) 200.23 ( 200.23)
min. issues
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CLANDESTINE
(Clandestine) Voice of Democratic Kampuchea in
Cambodian to Kampuchea 31,780 ( 25,260)
(Clandestine) Voice of Malayan Democracy in
Malay 4,610 ( 1,350)
(Clandestine) Voice of the People of Burma in
Burmese to Burma 410 ( 3,560)
(Clandestine) SSPT in
Thai to Thailand 13,730 ( 4,850)
HONG KONG
Hong Kong AFP in
English
INDIA
Delhi General Overseas Service in
English 2,030 ( 4,570)
Delhi Domestic Service in
English 25,380 ( 22,680)
Delhi ISI Diplomatic Information Service in
English
Delhi INDIAN EXPRESS in
English
Delhi NATIONAL HERALD in
English
Delhi PATRIOT in
English
Bombay THE TIMES OF INDIA in
English
Calcutta ANANDA BAZAR PATRIKA in
Bengali
Calcutta THE STATESMAN in
English
Madras THE HINDU in
English
Delhi Domestic Service in
Hindi 300 ( o)
Jakarta Domestic Service in
Indonesia
Jakarta ANTARA in
English
Jakarta KOMPAS in
Indonesian
Jakarta THE INDONESIA TIMES in
English
Jakarta OANA in
English
10,830 ( 4,970)
Phnom Penh International Service in
English 0 ( 0)
Phnom Penh International Service in
Thai 0 ( 0)
Phnom Penh Domestic Service in
Cambodian 32,250 ( 16,120)
Phnom Penh SPK in
Vientiane Domestic Service in
Lao
Vientiane KPL in
45,950 ( 34,270)
4,680 ( 3,010)
4,360 ( 4,350)
3,630 ( 6,290)
38,190 ( 33,110)
0 0)
0 o)
7,680 ( 6,860)
1,470 ( 0)
2,480 ( 4,330)
3,440 ( 0)
0 ( 350)
1,030 ( 2,560)
0 ( 370)
0 ( 0)
1,740 ( 0)
STAT
STAT
53,640 ( 36,460)
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BROADCASTS PRESS AGENCIES
PUBLICATIONS
Kuala Lumpur International Service in
English 6,580 (
8,650)
Kuala Lumpur Domestic Service in
English 1,800 (
1,330)
Kuala Lumpur Domestic Service in
Malay 0 (
0)
Kuala Lumpur NEW STRAITS TIMES in
English
3,180 (
150)
Kuala Lumpur NEW SUNDAY TIMES in
English
0 (
0)
Katmandu External Service in
English 1,070 (
360)
Katmandu THE RISING NEPAL in
English
0(
900)
Karachi Overseas Service in
Urdu 680 (
1,740)
Karachi Domestic Service in
English 10,040 (
6,650)
Karachi Domestic Service in
Urdu 14,360 (
12,460)
Karachi Overseas Service in
English
Singapore Domestic Service in
English 2,380 (
890)
Singapore THE STRAITS TIMES in
English
610 (
1,330)
Singapore THE SUNDAY TIMES in
English
0 (
0)
Colombo International Service in
English 860 ( 1,450)
Colombo Domestic Service in
English 1,040 ( 150)
Colombo SUN in
English
1,040 (
Colombo WEEKEND in
English
510 (
Colombo Domestic Service in
Hindi 280 ( 0)
THAILAND
600)
0)
Bangkok Voice of Free Asia in
English 7,380 4,660)
Bangkok Voice of Free Asia in
Thai 2,450 3,290)
Bangkok Domestic Service in
English 3,340 1,840)
Bangkok Domestic Service in
Thai 14,740 6,030)
Bangkok MATICHON in
Thai 2,690 (
3
810)
Bangkok MATUPHUM in
Thai
2,460 (
,
990)
Bangkok NATION REVIEW in
English
44,120 (
24,780)
Bangkok BANGKOK POST in
English
54,220 (
37,480)
Bangkok SIAM RAT in
Thai 1,870 (
2,510)
Bangkok SU ANAKHOT in
Thai
1,450 (
0)
Bangkok THAI RAT in
Thai 1,950 (
400)
Bangkok BANGKOK WORLD in
English 3,990 (
700)
Bangkok Television Service in
Thai 570 ( 0)
Bangkok SIAM MAI in
Thai 460 (
0)
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Moscow in
Bengali to Bangladesh 0 (
0)
Moscow in
Burmese to Burma 1,490 (
0)
Moscow in
Cambodian to Kampuchea 0 (
1,490)
Moscow in
Hindi to India 150 (
1,210)
Moscow in
Indonesian to Indonesia 0 (
0)
Moscow in
Lao to Laos 830 (
780)
Moscow in
Thai to Thailand 0 (
150)
Moscow in
Urdu to India 0 (
0)
Moscow in
Urdu to Pakistan 0
0)
Moscow Radio Peace and Progress in
Indonesian to Indonesia 0 (
0)
Hanoi
International Service in
Cambodian 0 (
0)
Hanoi
International Service in
English 5,260 (
4,470)
Hanoi
International Service in
Thai 2,250 (
2,340)
Hanoi
Domestic Service in
Vietnamese 70,750 (
66,560)
Hanoi
VNA in
1,430 (
1,300)
o (
0)
STAT
ano
TAP SAN in
Vietnamese
0 (
28,940)
Hanoi
NHAN DAN in
Vietnamese
36,480 (
17,470)
Hanoi QUAN DOI NHAN DAN in
Vietnamese
2,150 (
1,360)
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