TNAG-0416-FCO40-462-Review-of-narcotics-problem-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 150

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SECRET AND ECLIPSE

The Crowsn HKIU]

BRITISH EMBASSY,

BANGKOK.

19/2

WW

17

HE Sir Murray MacLehose KCMG MBE

Governor

TONG KONG

Bean Memay

NARCOTICS

REF.

REF.

ام

NKK 19/3

1 May 1973

Minuts to 1.0.D

Enter & feire

L༩་

(3)

Tel... Intinetted.

93

4/16.

I

1. Thank you for your letter SCR 4/1316/72 and for Rolph's report which it enclosed. I entirely agree with its analysis of the problen in Thailand (paragraphs 17-25) and can confirm that the Americans here give every indication of eagerness to cooperate with us (but see below as regards Chiang Mai). would welcome two Hong Kong officers appointed to my staff for anti-narcotics duties, one to be based here in the Imbassy and the other attached to the Consulate in Chiang Mai. I agree with Rolph (his paragraph 21) that they should not be publicly announced as anti-narcotics officers but as he rightly states in his paragraph 22 it would be necessary for me confidentially to inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the relevant police authorities of their duties since without the cooperation of the Thais they could achieve very little. The recent seizure of the "Pasgon Samut" gives me a good entrée with General Prachuap the Deputy Director-General of Police (see my letter to you, not copied elsewhere, of 26 April) and I seu advantage in striking while the iron is hot. I therefore hope that you and London will soon be able to give me the green light to talk to the Thais about the two proposed appointments.

2. Rolph suggests (his paragraph 21) that the officer posted to Bangkok should also pay regular visits to our Embassies in Burma and Laos to keep abreast of developments there. This is a matter more for Edward Willan and John Lloyd than myself but if they were agreeable I would certainly see no objection at all. 3. I put in above a little caveat about Chiang Mai. My acting Consul there, while entirely in favour of the proposal that an officer be attached to the Consulate, has warned me that the American agent who runs the Special Narcotics Organisation programme in Northern Thailand tends to be difficult and displays a certain amount of anti-Pitish prejudice. I rather gather that this was the impression that Rolph göt of him too. This does not by any means rule out our appointing a man to Chiang Mai but he would need to be careful with this rather prickly personage.

A If we are to make the two proposed appointments and generally display a more active interest than hitherto in the Thai aspect of

/the

SECRET AND ECLIPSE

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