MONTHLY REPORT--BANGKOK BUREAU-- MAY 1987

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-00733R000100030011-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 12
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 13, 2012
• Sequence Number: 11
• Publication Date: June 1, 1987
• Content Type: MEMO

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/06/13: CIA-RDP88-00733R000100030011-9
ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET
SUBJECT: (Optional)
Monthly Report -- Bangkok Bureau
FROM.
EXTENSION
NO.
DATE
Chief, Operations Group
2944
May 1987
TO: (OMc.r designation, room number, and
building)
DATE
OWEN'S
COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom
RECEIVED
FORWARDED
INITIALS
to whom. Draw a line across column after each comment.)
Chief, Operations Group
3.
V
Chief, E$PS
1-7
4.
D Director FBIS
Director, FBIS
a~
a.
``
PO-RA/E&PS
7.
C/ESG
8.
C/FED
9.
C/ADD
lo.
C/HED
-
11.
Chief, Admin Staff
12.
Chief, Analysis Gro
i
T' W
AAA_j
13.
Admin Staff
14.
15.
Exec. Reg.
FORM 610 USEpfMsUS
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1 June 1987
MBK-7012
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director, Foreign Broadcast Information Service
THROUGH: Chief, Operations Group
SUBJECT: Monthly Report -- Bangkok Bureau -- May 1987
A few minutes before 3 PM on Thursday, 21 May, the Bureau experienced
the first bomb scare in its history. The Bureau receptionist took a
telephone call from an unidentified woman speaking Thai who said a bomb
had been placedF_
STAT
STAT
A message was sent to Headquarters and selected STAT
bureaus which have backstop responsibilities and the office was
evacuated. Both the embassy security officer and the Thai police were
alerted. A Bangkok police bomb squad searched for the alleged bomb but
found nothing, and 1 and 1/2 hours after it started the building was
declared safe and the evening shift went back to work. The Bureau found
out from the building management that another individual, a man, had
called the occupants of the 10th floor about the bomb, but no one as yet
can explain why FBIS was also alerted to this bogus bomb threat. Other
events which occupied the Bureau this month included the first visit to
Moscow by Nguyen Van Linh in his capacity of Vietnamese party leader, the
coup in Fiji, and violence in India and Sri Lanka.
A. Monitorial/Editorial
1. The Bureau devoted extensive resources to the visit to
Moscow by the new Vietnamese party leader Nguyen Van Linh. Vietnamese
radios were put on open watch on the 17th to cover any mention of Linh's
departure. Up to that point AFP was the only source monitored at the
Bureau citing a date, which turned out to be correct, for the visit.
Following confirmation from Vietnamese sources on the 17th of his
departure for Moscow, the Bureau kept the radios on open watch several
days longer until it became apparent that visit reports were being carried
only on regularly scheduled casts. From 15-22 May the Bureau covered the
80 East Soviet satellite continuously via ROSET and filed five VSLs from
television feeds on the visit, including apparently raw footage of Linh's
arrival and departure from Moscow. The tapes were expedited to MOD by
express courier service. While all reports were processed expeditiously,
the Bureau made particular efforts to clear the announcer-read text of
Linh's banquet speech and the Vietnamese version of the joint statement
(which was monitored several hours after the Bureau resumed operations
following the bomb threat evacuation mentioned above). Okinawa Bureau
backstopped several major newscasts during the visit, but as it turned out
no processing assistance was needed.
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2. Nine minutes after the Bureau opened for business on the
14th, we logged in an alert from the Wire about a military coup in Fiji.
The Bureau had to rely on Melbourne radio, AFP, and to some extent the BBC
World Service for reportage since no Fijian radios are monitorable in
Bangkok. Melbourne was immediately put on open watch, which continued
until notified by the Wire on the 15th that it was no longer necessary.
The Bureau again briefly went to an open speaker watch on the 19th when
an aircraft hijacking was reported in Fiji. The incident was quickly
resolved, however. Repeated checks of New Zealand frequencies failed to
turn up any monitorable stations. Confusing and conflicting reports were
the norm during the first few days of the coup, and even at month's end,
although coup leader Colonel Rabuka is apparently in charge, it is not
clear how matters will finally evolve. Even though the coup only occupied
half of the month, Melbourne radio wordage more than tripled over the
previous month's total to 65,000 words, the vast majority dealing with
Fiji.
3. Levels of violence in India and Sri Lanka, already high,
escalated even further during the month. On the 12th, the Indian central
government relieved Punjab state leaders and imposed presidential rule.
Additional police forces were moved in and a large number of arrests made,
including some Punjab ministers thought to be too closely tied to
extremist forces. Toward the end of the month a particularly bad
situation developed in Meerut, just north of Delhi, where there were riots
and bloodshed over several days with the death toll possibly well over
100. During the month Sri Lankan military forces moved to try to take
control of the Jaffna area from the Tamil militants. Extensive coverage
of this development along with the often strong criticism from India also
drove up Sri Lankan and Indian media wordage during the month. The
clandestine Voice of Tamil Eelam was unheard from 28 May-1 June, and
during the 22-27 May period only broadcast repeats of the 21 May
programs. This erratic behavior may be linked with the government's
offensive against the Tamils.
4. On the 19th, ROSET monitoring of Malaysian television
provided the first listing of the new cabinet lineup following a reshuffle
by the prime minister. Three takes giving the names of ministers and
other government officials and their new positions were filed.
1. A group consisting of the bureau chief and the bureau
technical staff paid a visit to the Si-Racha earth station operated by the
Communications Authority of Thailand (CAT) which serves as Thailand's
satellite communications gateway. The bureau representatives were given a
complete tour of the very impressive facility. One thing that stood out
during our visit was that they are receiving the 174 degree east Intelsat
on their 10-meter dish antenna with fair to good reception.
2. On 5 May the FBIS Headquarters security officer arrived at
the Bureau for a 5-day TDY. During his visit all areas of Bureau security
were discussed and evaluated. No major security problems were found.
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Recommendations and/or discrepancies will be included in his trip report
upon his return to Hqs.
3. Applicants were interviewed for the position of LAN systems
administrator. The Bureau had seven responses ad placed in the
BANGKOK POST. Of the seven interviewed, was selected, based STAT
on her excellent training and experience in the computer field. We hope
to have her on board before the LAN installation team arrives.
III. ADMINISTRATION
A. Personnel
1. Indonesian Monitor
a baby boy on 18 May.
became the proud father of STAT
2. A number of Bureau personnel were hospitalized for shor
stays during the month, including contract custodian TAT
for corrective surgery, wife who had to have a ceasarian section STAT
due to complications, and who was forced to extend his visit
to the U.S. to undergo additional heart surgery.
B. Buildings and Grounds
The renovation of the Bureau communications area was completed
this reporting period. The renovation was necessary due to the
forthcoming FBA-1 computer installation later this summer.
C. Visits
1. FBIS security officer, 6-11 May.
2. Hong Kong Administrative Assistant
training under Bangkok administrative officer
Attachment: Monthly Production Report
RHB/cl a
STAT
STAT
4-8 May for STAT
STAT
STAT
Chief, Bangkok Bureau
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BANGKOK BUREAU PRODUCTION REPORT FOR MAY 1987
I. TOTALS FROM ALL SOURCES:
TOTAL PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MONTH: 869,580
TOTAL NON-PUBLISHABLE WORDAGE FILED DURING MONTH: 258,820
TOTAL NUMBER OF PUBLISHABLE ITEMS FILED DURING MONTH: 1,799
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATION
II. INPUT OF REGULAR COVERAGE: 22,045 28,890 268.50
(minutes or issues per week) min. min. issues
III. OUTPUT FROM ROSET SOURCES:
(publishable words per month).
AUSTRALIA
Sydney Television Feed in
English 620
INDIA
Delhi Doordarshan Television Network in
. English 230
Delhi Domestic Service in
English 64,440
Delhi Doordarshan Television Network in
Hindi 290
INDONESIA
Jakarta TVRI Television Network in
Indonesian 340
MALAYSIA
Kuala Lumpur RTM Television Network 1 in
Malay
Kuala Lumpur BERNAMA in
English
SRI LANKA
Colombo Rupavahini Television Feed in
English
Colombo Lanka Puwath in.
English
1,880
5,960
29,940
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 1. . 1 __ :. ._ _ I ...
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IV. OUTPUT FROM ALL OTHER SOURCES:
(publishable words per month)
Pag e
AUSTRALIA
Melbourne Overseas Service in
English
65,370
Sydney Television Feed in
English
Sydney THE AUSTRALIAN in
English
Sydney THE BULLETIN in
English
Sydney THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN in
English
2,820
BANGLADESH
Dhaka
Overseas
English
Service in
2,910
Dhaka
Overseas
Bengali
Service in
0
Dhaka
Domestic
English
Service in
3,660
Dhaka
Domestic
Bengali
Service in
320
Dhaka BSS in
English
Dhaka THE BANGLADESH OBSERVER in
English
Dhaka SANGBAD in
Bengal i
BRUNEI
Kuala Belait THE BORNEO BULLETIN in
English
BURMA
Rangoon Domestic Service 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 MYANMA ALIN in
Burmese
CAMBODIA
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATION
6,080
Phnom Penh Domestic Service in
Cambodian 19,970
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Page
BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATION
CAMBODIA (continued)
Phnom Penh SPK in
English 12,960
Phnom Penh SPK in
French to KPL Vientiane 0
Phnom Penh SPK in
French 5,470
Phnom Penh VNA in
Vietnamese to VNA Hanoi 0
Phnom Penh VNA in
French to VNA Hanoi 0
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
CLANDESTINE
(Clandestine) Voice of Tamil Eelam in
English 0
(Clandestine) Voice of Democratic Kampuchea in
Cambodian 18,030
(Clandestine) Voice of Malayan Democracy in
Malay 1,330
(Clandestine) Voice of the Khmer in
Cambodian 3,990
(Clandestine) Voice of the National Army Democratic
Kampuchea in
Cambodian 12, 090
(Clandestine) Voice of the People of Burma in
. Burmese 0
(Clandestine) Voice of the People of Malaysia in
Malay 0
(Clandestine) Voice of Tamil Eelam in
Tamil 3,570
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BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATION
HONG KONG
Hong Kong AFP in
English
88,090
INDIA
Delhi
Delhi
Delhi
Delhi
Delhi
Delhi
General Overseas Service in
English
Doordarshan Television Network in
English
Domestic Service in
English
Domestic Service in
Hindi
Doordarshan Television Network in
Hindi
ISI Diplomatic Information Service in
9,410
230
67,830
330
290
English
220
Bombay THE TIMES OF INDIA in
English
3,630
Calcutta THE STATESMAN in
English
2,400
Delhi
INDIAN EXPRESS in
English
600
Delhi
NATIONAL HERALD in
English
0
Delhi
PATRIOT in
English
6,690
Delhi THE HINDUSTAN TIMES in
English
6,890
Delhi
THE HINDU in
English
5,570
Delhi
INDIA TODAY in
English
0
Calcutta ANANDA BAZAR PATRIKA in
Bengali
0
INDONESIA
Jakarta International Service in
English 2,170
Jakarta Domestic Service in
Indonesian 9,250
Jakarta TVRI Television Network in
Indonesian 340
Jakarta JAKARTA POST in
English 4,390
Jakarta THE INDONESIA TIMES in
English 1,910
Jakarta BERITA BUANA in
.Indonesian 600
Jakarta KOMPAS in
Indonesian 0
Jakarta MERDEKA in
Indonesian 650
Jakarta TEMPO in
Tnrlnncci an 1,600
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BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATION
INDONESIA (continued)
Jakarta SUARA PEMBARUAN in
Indonesian
Vientiane Domestic Service in
Laos
Vientiane KPL in
English
Vientiane KPL in
English to SPK Phnom Penh
Vientiane KPL in
French to SPK Phnom Penh
Vientiane SPK in
French to SPK Phnom Penh
Vientiane VNA in
Vietnamese to VNA Hanoi
Vientiane PASASON in
Lao
Vientiane VIENTIANE MAI in
Lao
MALAYSIA
Kuala Lumpur International Service in
English 3,090
Kuala Lumpur Domestic Service in
English 3,580
Kuala Lumpur Domestic Service in
Malay 1,260
Kuala Lumpur RTM Television Network 1 in
Malay 1,880
Kuala Lumpur BERNAMA in
English
Kuala Lumpur NEW STRAITS TIMES in
English
Kuala Lumpur NEW SUNDAY TIMES in
English
Kuala Lumpur BERITA HARIAN in
Malay
Kuala Lumpur BERITA MINGGU in
Malay
Kuala Lumpur MINGGUAN MALAYSIA in
Malay
Kuala Lumpur UTUSAN MALAYSIA in
Malay
NEPAL
Katmandu External Service in
English
Katmandu THE RISING NEPAL in
English
1,330
20,540
5 , 960
1,500
370
1,500
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BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATION
NEW ZEALAND
Auckland THE NEW ZEALAND HERALD in
English
Wellington THE EVENING POST in
English
PAKISTAN
Karachi Overseas Service in
English 930
Karachi Overseas Service in
Urdu 0
5,110
2,920
Karachi Domestic Service in
English
Karachi Domestic Service in
Urdu
Islamabad THE MUSLIM in
3,510
8,790
English
Karachi DAWN in
English
Islamabad THE PAKISTAN TIMES in
English
Karachi JASARAT in
8,440
3,770
1,750
Urdu
1 , 1 0 0
Karachi MASHRIQ in
Urdu
Rawalpindi HAIDER in
Urdu
Lahore Jang in
Urdu
Karachi NAWA-E WAQT in
Urdu
SINGAPORE
Singapore Domestic Service in
English
Singapore THE STRAITS TIMES in
English
5,130
Singapore THE SUNDAY TIMES in
English
SRI LANKA
Colombo International Service in
English
8,380
Colombo International Service in
Hindi
0
Colombo Domestic Service in
English '
0
Colombo Rupavahini Television Feed in
English
660
Colombo Domestic Service in
Tamil
0
Colombo Lanka Puwath in
English
29,940
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BROAD- PRESS FUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATION
SRI LANKA (continued)
English
Colombo SUN in
English
Colombo WEEKEND
English
THAILAND
Bangkok Voice of
English
Bangkok?Voice of
Cambodian
Bangkok Voice
Lao
Bangkok Voice
Thai
Bangkok Voice
Vietnamese
1,450
0
0
6,000
0
6 , 700
3,680
0
Bangkok Domestic
English
Bangkok Domestic
Thai
Bangkok First Army
Thai
Bangkok Television
Thai
8,690
10,140
1,520
1,840
Bangkok BANGKOK
English
44,140
Bangkok BANGKOK
English
3,920
Bangkok THE NATION
English
63 , 090
Bangkok KHAO PHISET
Thai
c_0
Bangkok LAK THAI
Thai
590
Bangkok MATICHON
Thai
6,120
Bangkok MATICHON
Thai
c_0
Bangkok NAEO NA in
Thai
2,10o
Bangkok SIAM RAT in
Thai
7,310
Bangkok SIAM RAT SAPDA
Thai
Bangkok SU ANAKHOT
Thai
Bangkok THAI RAT
Thai
Bangkok ZHONG
Chinese
Bangkok XING
Chinese
Asia in
Asia in
Asia in
Asia in
Asia in
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BROAD- PRESS PUBLI-
CASTS AGENCIES CATION
THAILAND (continued)
Bangkok XIN ZHONG YUAN RIBAO in
Chinese
UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS
Moscow International Service in
Tamil 0
Moscow in
Bengali to Bangladesh 0
Moscow in
Burmese to Burma 0
Moscow in
Cambodian to Cambodia 1,520
Moscow in
Hindi to India 0
Moscow in
Indonesian to Indonesia 0
Moscow in
Lao to Laos 650
Moscow in
Thai to Thailand 960
Moscow in
Urdu to India 0
Moscow in
Urdu to Pakistan 0
Moscow Radio Peace and Progress in
Indonesian 0
UNITED KINGDOM
London BBC World Service in
English 3270
VIETNAM
Hanoi International Service in
English 9,110
Hanoi International Service in
Cambodian 0
Hanoi International Service in
Thai 250
Hanoi Domestic Service in
Vietnamese 122,380
Hanoi VNA in
English
Hanoi NHAN DAN in
Vietnamese
Hanoi QUAN DOI NHAN DAN in
Vietnamese
Hanoi TAP CHI CONG SAN in
Vietnamese
Hanoi TAP CHI QUAN DOI NHAN DAN in
Vietnamese
Ho Chi Minh City SAIGON GIAI PHONG in
Vietnamese
2, 580
3,950
18, 00o
0
22,17(.-)
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