MONTHLY REPORT - BANGKOK BUREAU - MAY 1981

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00385R000200030016-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 8, 2007
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: June 1, 1981
• Content Type: MEMO

.Approved For Release 2007/05108: CIA-RDP83-003858000200030016-1
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Administrative - Internal usee Only
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director, FBIS
THROUGH Chief, Operations Group
SUBJECT Monthly Report - Bangkok Bureau - May 1981
The aftermath of the April fool's Day coup attempt continued
throughout the month., with the main and very obvious pattern being a
return to the status quo preceding the abortive coup. The. quick calls
in late April for dismissals of civilian and military supports of the
coup were succeeded in early May by public demands of leniency for the
coup leaders and participants. Ultimately, by the end of the month Prime.
Minister Prem Tinsulanon himself had publically declared a general `.amnesty
for the coup plotters and leaders. On the heels of this controversial
decision, Prem then had to withstand a no-confidence vote in Parliament
on his beleagured government. Thus, the 1 June scenario in Thailand
appears disturbingly similar to the one that was apparent prior to 1 April:
national leadership comes from a weak government under constant attack from
a disunitedl5ut vocal opposition, and national defense relies on a military
plagued by dissention and discontent.
Mother Nature also contributed to the local confusion and
discomfort with an unusually early onset of the rainy season. The "Venice
of the East," already saturated with weeks of rain, was literally inundated
the weekend of 23-24 May by one of the heaviest rainfalls ever recorded.
During that 48-hour period, the equivalent of one-seventh of Bangkok's
annual rainfall pounded the city, with accumulations ranging from 9 to 13
inches in various parts of the city. Many streets, including portions of
the major arteries, were closed to traffic, which disrupted travel and
closed schools and businesses. Bureau personnel did not escape the
hardships and damage wreaked by the flood. Problems ranged from overflowing
toilets (on the second floor:) in one staffer's apartment to 3 inches of
floodwater inside the bureau chief-'s residence. Needless to say, the
Memorial `Day holiday was not enjoyed in the traditional manner.
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II. OPERATIONS
A. Monitorial/Editorial
1. Indochina continued to make the most demands on bureau efforts
during the month. Particular attention was paid to the continuing hot war
climate along the Sino-Vietnamese border, a situation which produced almost
daily battle reports. The long-awaited Fourth Congress of the Kampuchean
Communist Party, which revealed for the first time the party~s makeup,
added legitimacy and respectability to the Phnom Penh regime and some
32,000 words to the Cambodian section's monthly production figures. The
Thai government further churned up troubled Indochinese waters by announcing
its intention to repatriate all Cambodian refugees. This prompted, quite
naturally, sharp retorts from Hanoi and Phnom Penh who threatened to respond
accordingly.
2. Unlike the adage applicable to March, May went out like a
lion operationally with the shocking news on 30 May of the assassination
of Bangladesh President Ziaur Rahman by disgruntled army offieers,whom
Dacca insisted upon calling "miscreants.'" Alerted by an AFP item, the
bureau immediately juggled staffing to cope with the crisis and implemented
an open-speaker watch. The crisis further pressed the understaffed Indian
section, forcing the three monitors to give up days off to cope with the
expanded coverage.
3. As a consequence of discussions at the recent bureau chief
conference, a limited coverage realignment was initiated for South and
Southeast Asia involving Gulf, Okinawa, and Bangkok bureaus. Bangkok
will assume Okinawa's coverage of Australia and related areas on 8 June
and the Hanoi English 1000 cast effective 21 June. The Australian coverage
will be handled by the bureau"s Indonesian team. On 16 May, Gulf assumed
Bangkok's coverage of the Pakistani press and is looking into the possibility
of acquiring Afghan papers to enable Bangkok to remove the final vestiges
of its Afghan coverage.
4. In response to increased Headquarters' interest, midway
through the month the bureau broadened its selection criteria for the
Indian press. This initial effort resulted in a monthly production in-
crease of 16,000 words. A similar effort is planned for Vietnamese press
coverage.
5. As a logical consequence of its assumption of Australian
coverage, the bureau is investigating the feasibility of covering the
Philippiiz$t~from Bangkok. A cruising survey is now underway to evaluate
reception of Manila FEBC, Baguio Mountain Province Broadcasting Corporation,
Radio Pilipina and Radio Veritas. The bureau presently monitors occasional
PNA items carried by the Jakarta OANA "pool." If the survey is successful,
the bureau will be forwarding its coverage recommendations to Headquarters
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III. ADMINISTRATION
A. Personnel
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1. Final security and medical clearances for Hindi/Urdu
applicant were received from the American Embassy in
New Delhi. Administrative procedures are being expedited in the
hope that Ahmad can report for duty on 28 June.
2. Indonesian/Malay monitor was hospitalized
for several days in early May suffering from high and irregular blood
pressure. After two weeks of convalescing at home, O returned to
work on 28 May.
3. Appropriate ceremonies were held on 19 May at Bang Ping
and on 20 May at the bureau to present Federal. Service pins to nine
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4. It came as no surprise when a local (Embassy bulletin
and Bangkok English-language press) advertising campaign for Cambodian/
French monitor candidates drew an absolute blank. It was the first
recruiting attempt using the lower (by more than $4,000) starting
salary required by the new FSN wage and classification system. The
bureau will now have to look for TCN's in Australia or elsewhere, but
we doubt we will be able to attract qualified applicants by offering
a starting salary of less than $5,000. There is still an outside
chance that Cambodian monitor 0 will be able to continue his
employment, which would obviate the immediate need for recruitment
and replacement.
B. Buildings and Grounds
Following more than a month of quiet, the Bang Ping site was
vandalized for the third time in two months during the night of 24 May.
On this occasion, the thieves took another piece of coaxial cable from
an active antenna in the antenna field. The cable was cut from the 313-
degree VLP antenna, the same place a piece of cable was taken less than
two months ago. Letters from the bureau chief and the Embassy security
off ice were sent to the chief of police responsible for the Bang Ping
area asking for their cooperation in stopping the vandalism. This
seemed to spark increased police action, with several arrests being
made, but it also prompted threats to Bang Ping personnel, indicating
that not all those involved have been apprehended.
On 21 May, Assistant NIO for East Asia visited the
bureau in the company of the local NFAC representative. At his request,
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