Invisible
07-Jul-10, 17:25
The Thai Army sent off two young conscripts to penetrate the anti-government mob that has gathered in front of Government House. Their mission was to go behind enemy lines and gather as much intelligence as possible. Their commanding officers wanted to know what the red shirts were up to.
Of course, the two poor recruits couldn't say no to the brass. After all, dissent is not in the nature of Thai soldiers. Listen to your superiors and you will do fine and go far is what these young men - as well as all others who couldn't afford to bribe their way out of the military draft - have been told all along.
In a reflection of the shaky state of Thailand's intelligence community, their cover was blown on Wednesday, just one day after they had gone on assignment.
Either the two young conscripts forgot their mojos or they suddenly got cold feet, we will never know.
But what we do know is that the top brass wasted no time in coming clean and admitting with straight faces that they just wanted some intel on the red shirts' activities, so what's the big deal?
What's the big deal? Well, to start with, spymasters shouldn't reveal the cards in their hands from the get go, much less send untrained spooks behind anybody's line. And if they are unsure as to what to do, they should check out "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Spying and Espionage". (Shouldn't let the title get you down, though.)
Indeed, sending young conscripts to check on the activities of mistresses might be one thing. But when it comes to national security, Bangkokian thinks the top brass need to get more serious.
Moreover, a responsible spymaster shouldn't reveal all of his cards if only one of his spies is caught red-handed.
With bosses like this, who would want to become a government spy?
Needless to say, the guile of the two recruits was severely lacking. In less than 48 hours the alert red shirts spotted the Army's finest. Don't know what gave them away - their haircuts, the fact they were up all night snooping around (or shaking in their boots), or perhaps they had "Royal Thai Army" written on their foreheads. Could have been anything. But the fact that the two had military identification cards in their pockets, meant there wasn't much the brass could say.
One of the conscripts ran for his life and the other tripped, fell and became the focus of the red shirts' undivided attention - the kind that no one wants.
The good news is that there was no "water-boarding". The red shirts had their fun and released the two men.
All's well that ends well. Bangkokian is just happy that those boys don't have a licence to kill. But with spies like these, who needs an enemy?
Of course, the two poor recruits couldn't say no to the brass. After all, dissent is not in the nature of Thai soldiers. Listen to your superiors and you will do fine and go far is what these young men - as well as all others who couldn't afford to bribe their way out of the military draft - have been told all along.
In a reflection of the shaky state of Thailand's intelligence community, their cover was blown on Wednesday, just one day after they had gone on assignment.
Either the two young conscripts forgot their mojos or they suddenly got cold feet, we will never know.
But what we do know is that the top brass wasted no time in coming clean and admitting with straight faces that they just wanted some intel on the red shirts' activities, so what's the big deal?
What's the big deal? Well, to start with, spymasters shouldn't reveal the cards in their hands from the get go, much less send untrained spooks behind anybody's line. And if they are unsure as to what to do, they should check out "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Spying and Espionage". (Shouldn't let the title get you down, though.)
Indeed, sending young conscripts to check on the activities of mistresses might be one thing. But when it comes to national security, Bangkokian thinks the top brass need to get more serious.
Moreover, a responsible spymaster shouldn't reveal all of his cards if only one of his spies is caught red-handed.
With bosses like this, who would want to become a government spy?
Needless to say, the guile of the two recruits was severely lacking. In less than 48 hours the alert red shirts spotted the Army's finest. Don't know what gave them away - their haircuts, the fact they were up all night snooping around (or shaking in their boots), or perhaps they had "Royal Thai Army" written on their foreheads. Could have been anything. But the fact that the two had military identification cards in their pockets, meant there wasn't much the brass could say.
One of the conscripts ran for his life and the other tripped, fell and became the focus of the red shirts' undivided attention - the kind that no one wants.
The good news is that there was no "water-boarding". The red shirts had their fun and released the two men.
All's well that ends well. Bangkokian is just happy that those boys don't have a licence to kill. But with spies like these, who needs an enemy?