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Another day in Sukhumvit's "Little Arabia"


StoneSoup

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Well, I was chatting with Jimmie Blonde yesterday on the Skytrain, telling him about reports I'd heard of advance APEC foreign security types being spotted doing a preliminary pass through Soi Cowboy yesterday morning.

 

So we both hit on the same idea at the same time - "I wonder what the security surveillance situation is these days around Sukhumvit Sois 3-5?"

 

We could imagine 20 foreign security organizations each planting a two man advance team in this area, to generally snuffle around, and keep their ears open. And then the various Thai military and law-enforcement organizations must have their own agents setting up observation points in that area. Well, extrapolate this out, and pretty soon you have a couple of football teams worth of spies all clustered within a fairly compact area - pretty much elbow to elbow. Probably even watching each other with suspicion. Earplugs to radios, and mini cameras.

 

Then we thought about what these security types would have to do to establish credibility - drink curdled goats milk, drink evil coffee, eat rams eyeballs, smoke a hookah, paw at all the fat Thai girls. And other such spy tradecraft.

 

So - then we thought about how to take the heat off all the security guys - by calling for a muster of Nanaplaza types on the ground here in BKK - to be held at a couple of Egyptian or Paki cafes off Soi 3/1 - but everyone has to come with an arab headdress, and wearing a sheet. We give ourselves names like "Hassan" and "Ali" and "Mohammed". Paste-on bushy mustaches. Cameras and little communications headsets.

 

Then we spread out and pretend to send intelligence reports to each other. "The camel has left the yurt....I say again, the camel has left the yurt...over."

 

Sort of like modern-day bear baiting....

 

Still, I wonder what the surveillance situation really is between Sois 3 and 5 - particularly in view of how that area is only an RPG round's range away from the J.W. Marriott.

 

'Never a dull moment here, around lower Suhkumvit!

 

Be alert. Bangkok needs more lerts.

StoneSoup

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When it comes to security, we will be the last to know. Spoke to one former airport employee, and he told me that the smoking lounges in all airports are heavily bugged. I expect that cameras are in more places then we can imagine. Went thru the LA Interminal terminal and was amazed at how many cameras were hidden in the ceiling. In one area, they were so many hidden that I could not count the number. Cameras can be any where. Police usage for undercover stings seem to be on the upswing so I expect Bangkok has a large number in place all ready. Last Saturday talked to one person who has ties with the embassy and he claimed there are about 1200 CIA police (ndercover operatives?) in Bangkok. Sounds like a lot, but then who knows.

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There are lots of cameras in airport toilets.. In the UK if you visit the toilet before you have cleared customs( ie when you arrive at UK airport) you will 100% be checked by customs..

 

A significant proportion of drug smugglers lose their bottle when they land at the airport and go in to the toilets and throw away their packages...

 

On a similar vein in dubious pubs and bars the world over take a look in the toilet cistern, surprising what people hide in there, from money to drugs.

 

[stuff deleted. I am sure these guys have things already figured out :(, but there is no need for us to give them any idea - KS]

 

On a serious note I am sure they're planning and will not want to miss this good opportunity as far as they are concerned.

 

STH

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....so I expect Bangkok has a large number in place all ready....

 

While making initial preparations for my trip to LOS, I visited the US Embassy website. It mentioned that the US mission to Thailand was the second largest of embassy operations. They can't all be "goodwill" diplomats. I would guess DEA and intel guys up north re: the drug trade, and, of course, now, increasingly in the south, with the "Jihad" problems.

 

In spite of how many differences I have with my government (not only my RIGHT to bitch, but my OBLIGATION), I'm glad to have a strong presence here. The Fed can be total assholes, but sometimes it's really good to have such effective assholes on your side (more or less).

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