CIA still in the region?

[Smurkster]

This is obviously a little hard to answer because no one ever knows for sure who is clandestine or not. Of course as we know in the 60's during the Indochinese War ( i call it that because it really was more than Vietnam) there were tons of spies living and working in Laos and also Isan during the Royalist/Communist battle. Last time I was in Vientiane, the thought popped into my head "Is there still a CIA presence here and for what?" of course CIA is probably in every country in the world to some extent, but I don't know how much. I also know an ex CIA agent who lives in Loei and was working in ISan in the 60's, so that just made me want to know even more. Are CIA spies walking amongst us in either Thailand or Laos these days?

[krisb]

Doubt anyone here knows either way.

If there is, and they happen to be reading this, what really happened to Tony?

[Costas2008]

Do not ask questions like that.

Do not mention the name of our organization.

I'm watching you...............................

[mrtoad]

Sit in a bar in Pattaya or Bangkok- there are plenty of people claiming to be Special Forces or Spooks.

[Ulysses G.]

Lots of spies worked for the AUA language schools in Thailand during Vietnam. That was their cover. I'm pretty sure that they have all retired though.

[EyesWideOpen]

I was told once the reason the USA consulate in Chiang Mai is so large is that it

also housed the CIA. Principal reason for their presence was drug suppression

in the golden triangle area.

[alfieconn]

Lots of spies worked for the AUA language schools in Thailand during Vietnam. That was their cover. I'm pretty sure that they have all retired though.

Obviously their cover wasn't very good if you knew about them Uly

[mrtoad]

Do not ask questions like that.

Do not mention the name of our organization.

I'm watching you...............................

Who are you attached to Costas?

[Costas2008]

Do not ask questions like that.

Do not mention the name of our organization.

I'm watching you...............................

Who are you attached to Costas?

Ex CIA

Ex MI6

Ex Commando

Ex......Ex.....Ex.......

Presently an old fart

[Smurkster]

in my small provincial town I seem to meet a lot of Brits and Americans who also love to claim they were SAS, CIA or MI6 or what have you..I guess here you can be whomever you want to be!

Edited November 20, 2014 by Smurkster

[CharlieH]

Do not ask questions like that.

Do not mention the name of our organization.

I'm watching you...............................

Who are you attached to Costas?

Ex CIA

Ex MI6

Ex Commando

Ex......Ex.....Ex.......

Presently an old fart

In reality, most are just EX husbands

[Ulysses G.]

Lots of spies worked for the AUA language schools in Thailand during Vietnam. That was their cover. I'm pretty sure that they have all retired though.

Obviously their cover wasn't very good if you knew about them Uly

I didn't know until 20 years later.

[pgrahmm]

I heard after retiring they became TVF moderators.....

[Chonburiram]

You can apply here:

https://www.cia.gov/index.html

[starky]

Do not ask questions like that.

Do not mention the name of our organization.

I'm watching you...............................

Who are you attached to Costas?

Ex CIA

Ex MI6

Ex Commando

Ex......Ex.....Ex.......

Presently an old fart

Ah your not the real deal then you have to be ex para or ex SAS at least! to be a proper Thailand "operator"

[fey]

there is a large presence of cia/nsa in phenom pehn now it's one of the staging areas for electronic data collection. not sure why that location was chosen, but it likely does not have much to do with that country.

you won't come across clandestine agents working around you, it's all out of office buildings.

[Bluetongue]

Met an American today in a country town, he saw me and sought me out. I've lived here years he said he'd been here months,

never saw him before. He said he was a teacher but wouldn't say which school as he didn't know me. Fairly early in the

conversation he talked about how in America now lots of people mistrust the FBI and the government, stockpiling weapons and

food etc, and then talked about an Iraqi TV news channel (maybe Al Jazeera) he watched which also mentioned Australian and

British people going off to join ISIS, as if trying to get me to get irate about it. Anyway if he was sounding me out for

whatever reason he would be disappointed because like Costas I am only an old fart, although not so much of the old. And if I told you what I used to do I'd have to kill you.

[Jdiddy]

CT sites reckon there is a CIA base in this region of the world is in Pattaya, they say the CIA has it's fingers in all of the corruption, scams, coups, military ect

[In Search of Space]

Join up, see what happens, could be a good way of working without the need of a WP !!!!

[Thai at Heart]

In the town where I was there was a listening station that had people coming and going.

Fairly quiet the last few years though.

[tim armstrong]

They used to have a base in Jakarta, then curiously East Timor, now apparently Phnom Penh. They had a cover organisation called DynaCorp, but don't hear much about them now. Hope This wasn't my last post.

[chuckd]

Doubt anyone here knows either way.

If there is, and they happen to be reading this, what really happened to Tony?

Tony retired in the mid 70's and died in (I think) Las Vegas about ten or so years ago.

Used to see him some with Jack in Madrid.

[krisb]

Doubt anyone here knows either way.

If there is, and they happen to be reading this, what really happened to Tony?

Tony retired in the mid 70's and died in (I think) Las Vegas about ten or so years ago.

Used to see him some with Jack in Madrid.

Not Tony Bennet, Issan Tony who we believe ended up in the swamp.

Tony Bennet sang about underneath the mistletoe tree,

Issan Tony actually is underneath the mistletoe tree, about 6ft down.

[Crazy chef 1]

they must be here- saw many T-shirts with their logo on...

[Suradit69]

Lots of spies worked for the AUA language schools in Thailand during Vietnam. That was their cover. I'm pretty sure that they have all retired though.

Obviously their cover wasn't very good if you knew about them Uly

Yes, a similar topic ran awhile ago about some undercover agents and all the bar stool experts in Pattaya could identify them (apparently oftensitting next to them and spilling covert secrets over a beer).

Undercover and covert tends to imply they can't be fingered especially by those who spend most of their time spotting pink elephants and UFOs.

Edited November 20, 2014 by Suradit69

[losworld]

Unfortunately, still plenty of CIA here. Friend knows a bunch in Tland.

[chuckd]

Doubt anyone here knows either way.

If there is, and they happen to be reading this, what really happened to Tony?

Tony retired in the mid 70's and died in (I think) Las Vegas about ten or so years ago.

Used to see him some with Jack in Madrid.

Not Tony Bennet, Issan Tony who we believe ended up in the swamp.

Tony Bennet sang about underneath the mistletoe tree,

Issan Tony actually is underneath the mistletoe tree, about 6ft down.

I wasn't talking about Tony Bennett. He's still alive.

The question was about CIA types. Look up Tony Po. You were cryptic...so was I.

The Jack was another one, as was Ed, Carl, Bob and a host of AA pilots and kickers.

I personally never ran across Isaan Tony so can't help you there.

[Farma]

I've shared many a drink with an AA kicker called Bob. He's still going strong last I heard.

Another old timer I shared many a morning with as he did his crossword was Forrest but think he's long passed.

[ksamuiguy]

There everywher, everywhere I tell Ya.

[fey]

There everywher, everywhere I tell Ya.

can you be more specific? your answer does not contribute much to the conversation other then re-stating what has already been said.