TNAG-0116-FCO40-152-Departmental-Briefs-For-Meetings--Visits-and-Foreign-Affairs-1969 — Page 43

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The Inspector recommended that before the end of the year the Ambassador should review the UK-based Information post in the light of his suggestion that it might be merged with the

3rd Secretary (Chancery) post. We should be able to make this economy without damaging our position.

THAILAND (E)

The Information Section is in process of moving into the Embassy compound and the reading room and film unit are to be closed. The British Council, for which new premises are being built, can provide alternative services.

Information objectives are in support of:

1. Our declared policy of continued interest in the social

and economic progress of Thailand despite our military

withdrawal, and

. 2.

Our economic interests and trade with Thailand.

With the growth of radio and T.V. there has been a shift of emphasis in information media away from the press.

The relevant B.B.C. Services are the Thai and other

vernaculars and the World. The signal is only reasonably good but will improve with the modernization of Tebrau. The Information Section is planning an increased service of tape dis- tribution, with assistance from the B.B.C., to local radio

stations.

VIETNAM F)

Information work remains a holding operation confined to securing a fair hearing for any action which H.M.G. may take, particularly in connection with Vietnam and keeping the lines open for possible future activity, particularly in commercial

matters.

Current activity consists of briefing the British press corps and giving the maximum assistance to the B.B.C., which is widely listened to. Its objectivity and accuracy arẻ highly valued. It is also listened to in N. Vietnam and by Vietcong in

the field; although Duncan did not exclude the Vietnamese Service

from his strictures on external broadcasts we should resist any attempt to stop it.

Since the last pre-estimates exercise the British Council

office has closed down and the lectureship in English terminated. The British Council are now investigating, at the request of ODM,

/re-entering