MONTHLY REPORT--BANGKOK BUREAU--AUGUST 1987

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-00733R000100030007-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 13, 2012
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: September 3, 1987
• Content Type: MEMO

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ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET
SUBJECT: (Optional)
Monthly Report -- Bangkok Bureau
FROM:
EXTENSION
NO.
Chief, Operations Group
3-5991
DATE
August 1987
TO: (Officer designation, room number, and
building)
DATE
OFFICER'S
COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom
RECEIVED
FORWARDED
INITIALS
to whom. Draw a line across column after each comment.)
C/Ops
2.
C/E&PS
DD/FBIS
s.
D/FBIS
6.
7.
/
PO/RA
SA/CD
a.
9.
10.
C/AS
~
`~r
6
4
,40
11.
12.
all-
C/AG
13.
Admin Staff
14.
C/B&F
13.
Exec. Reg.
FOR
1-79M 610 Ea ses
I-
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3 September 1987
MBK-7011 T
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director, Foreign Broadcast Information Service
THROUGH : Chief, Operations Group
SUBJECT : Monthly Report -- Bangkok Bureau -- August 1987
1. Coverage of Philippines TV via satellite enabled the bureau to
provide up-to-the-minute reportage on the attempted coup that took
place in Manila 28 August. For some 5 hours on that date, Quezon
City GMA 7 Television in English was up on the 77 East Palapa
Satellite carrying such significant live events as President Aquino's
speech to the nation in which she declared that she had ordered a
military assault on the rebels, which "is to continue until the
rebellion is crushed," a phoned-in report by an army colonel on the
scene as the military campaign was underway to recapture Camp
Aguinaldo from the rebels, and phoned-in correspondents' reports on
the situations in Cebu and Mindanao. GMA 7, which appeared on the
same frequency that Quezon City RPN 9 Television normally occupies
for its weekday 1030 GMT newscast, has not been seen before or since,
leading the bureau to conclude that the Philippine Government must
have placed all tv stations in network 28 August while the coup was
in progress.
2. The bureau went on open watch 18 August in covering the
grenade attack on the Sri Lankan president and his cabinet in Colombo
that resulted in two dead and several wounded. It subsequently
intercepted a Colombo Rupavahini television feed on the 60 East
Intelsat the same day carrying a recorded statement on the attack by
a blood-stained but unhurt President Jayewardene. The videotape was
expedited to MOD by Purolator Courier.
STAT
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II. OPERATIONS
A. Monitorial/Editorial
1. The "Cocktail Party" proposed to Vietnam by the
Indonesian foreign minister on behalf of ASEAN on 29 July in an
attempt to bring the two warring Cambodian factions together for
talks, to be followed later by the participation of Vietnam and other
interested parties, resulted in a spate of unique material as the
Indochinese countries and ASEAN kept changing the ground rules for
the meeting. First the Indochinese countries accepted the initial
proposal on 6 August, but did it so subtly that the ASIAN states
didn't realize they had until after the ASIAN foreign ministers had
met on 16 August and come up with a greatly revised proposal that
Vietnam found totally unacceptable. At month's and, each side was
still refusing to budge from their positions, discord was evident
among the ASIAN states on the issue, and the Indonesian foreign
minister was denying that he was going to relinquish his role as
ASEAN spokesman.
2. The various monitoring units were occupied with
processing the presidential/prime ministerial speeches marking the
national/independence days of Singapore, Indonesia, Pakistan, and
India.
3. At Headquarters request, Vietnamese Unit Chief STAT
undertook the processing of the Vietnamese Communist Party's rev sed
party statutes, a copy of which the Bangkok-based Reuter
correspondent had passed on to the bureau following a trip to
Vietnam. By month's end, was nearing completion of the STAT
104-page epic and the teleops were breathing a sigh of relief upon
hearing that it was all being done on the computer.
B. Lateral Services
Extensive reportage and reaction to General Vessey's and
NSC staffer Childress' visits to Vietnam and Laos, respectively, to
discuss the MIA issue were provided to two State Department consumers
at AG's request, as well as to the embassy political section, USIS,
and VOA.
C. Technical
1. On 20 August, the bureau was visited by two members
of the State Department TDY survey team. The reason for the visit
was to discuss the bureau's microwave communications requirements for
the new chancery building.
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2. Lightning struck two HF antennas at Bang Ping,
destroying the coupling transformers. Both transformers have been
replaced and the antennas are again operational.
3. On 15 August, the bureau's in-house communications
circuits were changed from 60MA loop to low level. By changing over
to low level and installing a new switching box, the bureau's
communications have been greatly simplified, facilitating the
installation of FBA 1.
4. The equipment for Phase 1 of FBA arrived 24 August,
with the LEC installation crew arriving 26, 27, and 28 August.
Installation is now in progress and on schedule.
5. New Equipment:
A. RF Section MDL HP 8553B F/U/W
I, HP-141 Spectrum Analyzer SN.2429A13941
III. ADMINISTRATION
A. Personnel
1. Editor
arrived PCS 2 Aug.
STAT
2. Lao Monitor a charter, 20-year STAT
employee at Bangkok Bureau, is currently using up his excess leave
and will officially retire 12 September 1987.
3. Cambodian monitorial candidate visited the STAT
bureau 25-31 August for testing and preliminary process ng. He has
accepted our offer and is now awaiting clearance.
4. Joined the FBIS Bangkok ranks 10 STAT
ectron c ec ician. The long-time teletype
August as a contract electronic-
maintenance contract with Aerothai will be terminated effective 30
September.
B. Building and Grounds
Construction of a four-car concrete parking slab at Bang
Ping was begun during the reporting period. Construction will take
approximately three weeks.
IV. VISITS
1. Judith Strotz, a newly arrived political officer, visited
the bureau for a briefing and tour on 7 August.
2. Okinawa Bureau Technician) I who was in
Bangkok 21-30 August on private travel, stopped at the bureau for a
visit 28 August.
STAT
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3. FBIS personnel officer responsible for foreign STAT
nationals, visited the bureau 28 Aug-2 Sep.
4. ADD engineer and former bureau engineer,
arrived 25 August as the ADD representative for the FBA-1
installation.
5. A five-person contingent from the Singapore Embassy led by
First Secretaries Peter Mok and Chuang Tsu Li and including three
analysts from Singapore, visited the bureau on 31 August for a
briefing and tour.
STAT
6. a Far Eastern Topical Talks writer for BBC, Bush STAT
House, visited e bureau 1 September.
Chief, Bangkok Bureau
STAT
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I . TOTALS FROM ALL SOURCES:
TOTAL PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MONTH: 7O9 , 1. C.-
TOTAL
TOTAL NON-PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MON i?H: 247
, 73
TOTAL NUMBER OF PUBLISHABLE ITEMS FILED DURING MONTH: 2, 44,:_::
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATION
II. INPUT OF REGULAR COVERAGE:
(minutes or issues per week:)
III. OUTPUT FROM ROSET SOURCES:
(publishable words per month)
INDIA
22,7_8 36,450 2b9.SO
min. min. issues
Delhi Doordarshan Television Network in
English 1,420
Delhi Domestic Service in
English 0
Delhi Doordarshan Television Network in
Hindi 4,140
Delhi Domestic Service in
Hindi 0
INDONESIA
Jakarta TVRI Television Network in
Indonesian
Jakarta ANTARA in
English
Kuala Lumpur RTM Television Network:: 1 in
Mal ay
Kuala Lumpur BERNAMA in
English
PHILIPPINES
8, 210
4,240
Manila Television Feed in
English 1 , 680
Quezon City RPN 9 Television in
English 12,O?30
Quezon City GMA 7 Television in
English 4 , 250
Manila PNA in
English
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SRI LANKA
Colombo Rupavahini Television Feed in
English
Colombo LANKA PUWATH in
English
UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS
Moscow Television Feed in
Malay
IV. OUTPUT FROM ALL SOURCES:
(publishable words per month)
AUSTRALIA
- Melbourne Overseas Service in
English
Sydney THE AUSTRALIAN in
English
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATION
1,040
12,540
Sydney THE BULLETIN in
English
Sydney THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN in
English
BANGLADESH
Dhaka Overseas Service in
English
1,830
Dhaka Domestic Service in
English
8,150
Dhaka Domestic Service in
Bengali
2,820
Dhaka BSS in
English
Dhaka THE BANGLADESH OBSERVER in
English
Dhaka SANGBAD in
Bengali
BRUNEI
Kuala Belait THE BORNEO BULLETIN in
English
Rangoon Domestic Service in
Burmese
Rangoon WORKING PEOPLE'S DAILY in
English
Rangoon BOTATAUNG in
Burmese
Rangoon LOKTHA PYEITHU NEZIN in
Burmese
Rangoon MYANNMA ALIN in
Burmese
7,610
6,030
1,790
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17,730
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CAMBODIA
Phnom Penh Domestic Service in
Cambodian
Phnom Penh SPK in
English
Phnom Penh SPK in
French to KPL Vientiane
Phnom Penh SPK in
French
Phnom Penh VNA in
Vietnamese to VNA Hanoi
Phnom Penh VNA in
French to VNA Hanoi
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATION
18,580
CHINA
Beijing International Service in
Bengali
Beijing International Service in
Burmese
Beijing International Service in
Indonesian
Beijing International Service in
Lao
Beijing International Service in
Thai
Beijing in
Cambodian to Cambodia
Beijing in
Hindi to India
Beijing in
Malay to Malaysia
Beijing in
Urdu to India and Pakistan
Beijing International Service in
Vietnamese
0
840
4,870
0
CLANDESTINE
(Clandestine) Voice of Tamil Eelam in
English 0
(Clandestine) Voice of Democratic Kampuchea in
Cambodian 18,310
(Clandestine) Voice of Malayan Democracy in
Malay 5,130
(Clandestine) Voice of the Khmer in
Cambodian 7,800
(Clandestine) Voice of the National Army of
Democratic Kampuchea in
Cambodian 4,380
(Clandestine) Voice of the People of Burma in
Burmese 2,810
(Clandestine) Voice of Tamil Eelam in
Tamil 0
13,520
0
3,970
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BRO
I: A] I S
PRESS F'UBL I --
! s E r''a c. .E E 51 l h .i. _!
HONG
Hong
Kong AFF' in
English
70 , 7` O
INDIA
Delhi
General Overseas Service in
English
-~"
Delhi
Doordarshan Television Network in
Enn 1 i sh
1 , 42C
Delhi
Domestic Service in
English
4 3,86Cf
Delhi
Doordarshan Television NctL~orf:: in
Hindi.
4, 14C0
Delhi Domestic Service in
Hindi 440
Delhi
ISI Diplomatic Information Service in
English
2 , i t:
Bombay THE TIMES OF INDIA in
English 2, 9'-'
Calcutta THE STATESMAN in
Enq l i sh 96C r
Delhi INDIAN EXPRESS in
English 8,100;
Delhi PATRIOT in
English 2 ,84C0
Delhi THE HINDUSTAN 'TIMES in
English 6 , 29t i
Delhi THE HINDU in
English Delhi INDIA TODAY in
English o
Calcutta ANANDA BAZAR F'ATR IF::(') in
Bengal i :iii;
INDONESIA
Jakarta international Service in
English 99C)
Jakarta Domestic Service in
Indonesian 7,100
JaE::arta TVRI Television h?1~__tvu,r :: in
Indonesian 8, '.10
Jakarta. ANTARA in
English 5,25C)
Jakarta. ~r=~f::ARTA POST in
English 3, 870
Jakarta THE IND;i~NE IA TIMES in
r-'
English
Jakarta BERI A, r_uAPNA in
Indonesian 15 C)
Jakarta F:: C1 P'1F'F~ i.n
Indonesian 16C)
Ja.karta. ME:R DEV'.'A in
I ndone?si an
Jakarta TEMPO i n
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INDONESIA (continued)
Jak:arta. SUARA FEMDARLJAN in
Indonesian
Vientiane Domestic Service in
L_. a o