The SAS ‘Deniables’: Special Forces Operations, denied by the Authorities, from Vietnam to the War on Terror

Preface

Blue on Blue

Not Everyone in the 60s’ Wore Beads and Roman Sandals

The routine of observe, report and get chased away from targets was a day-to-day affair. The small team had gotten smaller as there were no replacements and no time to train new personnel. The best tool was a simple compass and regular updating of maps and charts of the areas they had been through. The countryside was littered with unmarked villages both friendly and hostile.

All were considered as hostile and sources of intelligence leaks to the Viet Cong, whom the team were certain knew of their existence.

The mission wasn’t finished with just the small targets being taken out, so they continued to search for more transport trails until they uncovered another huge stockpile of munitions. It seemed the opposition had reacted to the last attack, resulting in what was now a huge stockpile of weapons bunched up with nothing going over the Vietnamese border but instead creating a pile-up just five miles inside Cambodia in a valley that had cliffs on each side and a small stream trickling through it.

The SAS team found an ideal spot to set up camp on one of the hill tops with almost perfect cover from aerial surveillance. The enemy below didn’t know they were being observed from a vantage point that allowed the SAS a fairly clear view along the valley.

The cache was fairly large and growing, and there were both Viet Cong and Cambodian personnel bivouacked on all sides. They shared this intelligence coup with the Americans via their contact in Saigon. The team was ordered to sit tight and observe when the stockpile looked like it was moving out of the valley and heading towards the border into Vietnam. Within two days the munitions began to move east, a trickle at first until there was more coordination of personnel. Spider notified DIO in Saigon, who several hours later advised that the Americans were marshalling a helicopter gunship attack.

It was mid-afternoon, the sky a little hazy but no rain, and the SAS soldiers could make out the head of the line of people carting heavy boxes by hand, on backs and on bicycles. The line had begun to reach the end of the valley and started working its way up an incline before reaching the Vietnamese border.

Then the team of warriors heard the clack of helicopter rotors, when a dozen helicopters breached the top of the rise where the transporters of munitions began to scatter. Too fucking late! The rockets and machine guns began a constant hammering of the ground and through the valley.

The helicopters turned back into the valley and carried out their strafing runs more meticulously by picking out individual targets. By this time the enemy soldiers among the transport labourers had begun return fire using automatic weapons.

This caused the helicopters to break formation and it appeared that they had lost control of the situation and had to regroup.

That decision brought several helicopters right over the top of their position. One of them opened fire with their belly gunner and killed five Australian SAS warriors, who did not return fire.

The SAS team’s radioman was on the high frequency radio phone talking to the helicopter flight leader at the time and supporting the mopping up when they were hit. He immediately shouted into the mouthpiece ‘Cease fire, cease fire, we are friendlies. You just hit us. We have casualties, call off your stupid fucking choppers’.

Before he could say another word, Major Spider snatched the phone from the radioman’s hand and disconnected. His troops were livid; they threatened to use missiles in future to bring down the helicopters.

As the commander on the ground, Major Spider utilised his trained psychologist prowess and by pulling rank he convinced the troop to calm down, that they would deal with this bat-shit crazy matter in a civilised manner. This was no easy task as he was as pissed off as they were.

Brute approached the major with Stocky and Doc close at his heels. Major Spider was aware that these warriors were in shock, the look on their paled faces was one of anger in their deadly, venomous, staring eyes.

‘God fuck me to tears major, I tell ya if I ever get my hands on anyone of those fucking murdering cluster fuck Yanks, I will tear their fucking heads off and piss down their ever-loving motherfucking throats.’

‘I hear you Sergeant, but not here, not now, our day will come. Right now, we have casualties that need our attention.’

Major Spider saluted Brute and all three warriors returned the salute.

The major knew Brute wasn’t kidding and he also knew the big man was capable of doing exactly what he stated.

The bodies of the SAS warriors had been shredded by the multiple wounds from the 50-calibre helicopter weapons. They stripped the remains of any identifying materials and buried them in shallow graves which were located by compass readings and they marked the positions on their maps and charts. The team retreated from the scene leaving the Americans to finish what they had started. The only option was to head back to the landing areas and bug out of Cambodia by trusty Caribou aircraft.

Lest we forget

Chapter 1

Darwin Briefing – Pre-Mobilisation

Australia had agreed with the United States to have a team of Australian Army Special Air Services (SAS) soldiers conduct covert missions into Cambodia. The SAS soldiers would be bivouacked in Thailand.

On the day prior to their departure to Thailand, the Defence Intelligence Organisation (DIO) handlers set up a briefing in the Darwin Barracks for all of the SAS platoon leaders led by Major Pete, nicknamed Spider for his prowess and martial arts abilities, to attend mandatorily. The DIO contact officer, code-named Mr Champion, and the Ministry of Defence representative, Commander Coen, were introduced and provided a very cut down briefing.

The location for the operations had been set up earlier by the DIO with co-operation from the CIA at the Sattahip Marine Base, which had a single north–south runway on the south-eastern seaboard of Thailand adjacent to the Gulf of Thailand coast.

The briefing then focused on a specific operation that laid out the plans for ingress into Cambodia via Thailand with the sole objective of interdicting shipments of weapons that were being smuggled up the Mekong Delta into Cambodia by Russian and Chinese crewed ships. They were then being taken across land into Vietnam, arriving behind the US and allied front lines for back door Viet Cong ambush attacks. The pre-mobilisation planning would commence immediately.

They were given five days to get their act in order and then mobilise to southern Thailand via air into Sattahip Marine Base, which is 280 odd miles west of the Cambodian border. Once they had completed a three-day run-through of the wetland, water, and air training and orientation they could cover in the three days available, all the squads were assembled in parade formation at the Darwin Barracks, then martialled into the parade hall and given an introduction to civilian-dressed members of the Defence Intelligence Organisation (DIO) to whom they would be reporting directly on all future covert operations.

The basis would be plausible deniable under the Commonwealth Secrecy Act, which they all had to read and then sign in front of the DIO members (they had signed similar documents on joining the army). They never got the names of the civilians.

Spider thought for a moment after the signing and whispered quietly to himself ‘I think we’re fucked from today onwards’.

They were broadly advised that they would carry out special operations disguised as a civilian oil and gas contractor company in a neutral country (Thailand) while acting covertly in sovereign countries (Cambodia) that were not part of the Vietnam War. They would be inserting behind the enemy lines, over borders on land, sea and air as directed.

Chapter 2

Covert Intelligence Operations – Thailand Base

Major Spider and the Team

The Sattahip Marine Base shared a boundary with the U-Tapao airbase. The runway at U-Tapao was lengthened by the US military in the mid-1960s and became one of the airfields used in Southeast Asia by the United States Air force for their B-52 bombing raids over North Vietnam, including air support for the horrendous US Marine battle at Khe Sanh.

Initially kept secret by the Nixon administration, in 1969 U-Tapao was also used for B-52 bombing raids into Cambodia.

Their relationship with the Thai authorities was that they didn’t exist as Thailand was neutral and not involved in the Vietnam War. Major Spider was concerned about the security of his operations in someone else’s backyard and was informed by the DIO that so long as they never ventured outside of Sattahip marine base, Thailand could plead a plausibly deniable case stating that the activities on their base were strictly due to civilian contractors working for oil and gas operators in the region.

The initial SAS contingent mobilised comprising one platoon of twenty fully kitted out soldiers, adding the major himself as commanding officer, plus aircrew for the C-130 transport aircraft. Also, as Major Spider had trained with several of the lieutenants and sergeants in the early days in the CMF volunteer army through to the Puckapunual and Canungra training camps in more recent times, he selected the following personnel as his core inner team who would rotate back to back as needed for the entire period of this operation:

1.Head Pilot David (Dash) Jones with 3,400 flying hours in remote regions. Formerly worked for an Indonesian charter flight company, landing in Papua New Guinea and various small islands.

2.Pilot Officers Mike (Macka) McKey and Paul (Greek) Papas. Both of these pilots had more than 2,000 hours flying time logged with much of it in tropical airstrip locations like Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia.

3.Marine Coxswains Phil (Flipper) Fleckney and Ashley (Hook) Dale.

4.Explosives Specialist Corporal James (Rat) Aims, a mechanic handy with tools and maintenance. Supported the M60 gunner as loader.

5.Field Medic and Communications Specialist Lance Corporal Alex (Doc), McDonald, formally a Commando who had recently been transferred to the SAS. Excellent as an infield paramedic and expert in electronic warfare and communications equipment.

6.Heavy Weapons Specialist or Sniper Sergeant Tony (Brute) Maze, a big strong man and excellent platoon leader.

Threats to Health and Security

On day one in Thailand, Major Spider had the men wear contractor overalls with the same oil company logo printed on the back as the one that been hoisted up onto the aircraft hangar office front. Prior to them departing from Darwin, they had a sign writer paint the Hightower Drilling Contractor logo onto the tail of each aircraft and the designated civilian registration call-sign for radio communications, with civil aviation transponder and radios plus military satellite comms antennae installed.

When you have a bunch of young, strong, virile males and their testosterone kicks in, along with long periods away from home, the attraction that is available just outside the Sattahip base perimeter fence are little brown poverty-stricken Thai beauties, eager and willing to rent their bodies for a couple of local Baht. The never venture outside notion was similar to trying to restrain a bucking horse trying to get out of the stall; almost impossible!

Well, the answer to that, Spider thought, was the older guys. However, it turned out they were just as amorous for the physical pleasures outside the wire as the young bucks. Nevertheless, they had a real job on their hands keeping themselves and the younger studs focused by handling the rosters and work details. Spider figured that setting up a ninety-day rotation back to Darwin should do the trick, as there was far less likelihood of leaking intelligence information to the locals or being infected with sexually transferred diseases, malaria or any other tropical malaise.

Everyone returning to Darwin on R&R would receive a full health check on arrival and anyone caught with an STD would be in serious shit as they would be handed over to the DIO security people for a thorough debrief on whom with, when and how often. Their reports would come to Major Spider for disciplinary action. Obviously, they would never return under his command and possibly would be kicked out of the SAS. Being human and understanding the wants and needs of raging male hormones, Spider dropped the hint on many occasions: ‘Condoms!’ He did not want to lose any of his team on account of a little short-time pleasure.

Operations Begin

Additional information was provided on the locations of known official and unofficial Cambodian landing areas. The latter were possibly used by drugs or weapons smugglers, and also used from time to time by the CIA’s so-called Air America contractors involved in ferrying drugs, the profits of which the CIA utilised to finance their private war in the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos. Major Spider, along with the other pilots, were provided with current navigation charts and in-transit communications protocols for entry into official airports that were set up for Indonesia Kupang in West Timor, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore’s Changi, Butterworth in Penang, Malaysia, and finally Sattahip, Thailand, their ultimate base of operations for airborne and fast boat operations into Cambodia.

They had to airlift their two US fast boats up to Sattahip by C-130 for circuitously prowling up the Cambodian coast, harbours and the myriad of inland river deltas. The flat-bottom boats were the perfect platform for operating in shallow and muddy mangrove waters due to being water jet propelled and reasonably quiet.

They also had listed on the manifest for later delivery two Piper Cub aerial spotter planes that were of Second World War vintage, canvas covered, very slow but light and nimble at very low level. They would have to assemble the detached wings after delivery.

The DIO arranged the local purchase and delivery onto Sattahip base of a 20-ton tiltable flatbed truck with full canvas cover with company logo in case they needed to transport the jet boats, people, ordnance, Piper aircraft or other purposes in order to spread out their so-called oil and gas contracting business away from the base.

All site security was to be inconspicuous and no firearms or uniforms were to be visible. Most of the time on base they wore brown overalls or shorts and T-shirts with rubber sandles on their feet. Sattahip was an old established Thai military and marine base. The Thais did maintain a good security perimeter for their own purposes on the land and water sides. The Thai military were never officially involved at the outset of their arrival at the base, except for the occasional interfacing with them, ‘a contractor company hiring their warehouse-hangar space and use of their boat ramp out the back of the warehouse and ad hoc use of the single runway’.

Chapter 3

Transits to and from Darwin and Sattahip

Major Spider had made it a point that on arrival the Cubs, Caribou and C-130 remained in the hangar out of sight and mind of curious eyes. The C-130 flights only emerged at night with runway lights on long enough for take-off or touch-down. The Pipers mostly took off at first light before the control tower woke up and came back within a couple of hours due to limited fuel endurance and range. The Caribou flew in and out at ad hoc times, with all aircraft departures turning out over the waters of the Gulf of Thailand for noise abatement and to camouflage the intended direction once they reached cruising altitude.

More often than not, due to the notoriously bad weather in the tropics, their flights to and from Darwin were erratic and required diversion hops into Kupang West Timor, Balikpapan, Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam and the worst-case scenarios of Butterworth Air Force Base in Penang or Singapore’s Changi airport.

The only interface at these locations was for refuelling as they never disembarked personnel in order to avoid customs and immigration inspections of their people or cargoes. The Singaporeans and Indonesians were not very happy to allow them to land on a number of occasions, sensing that they were military and not civilian flights, and they had to make a call on the HF radio phone to the DIO for Government intervention, more than likely to pay off some government or military officials.

As Darwin was both an air force base and civilian domestic and international airport, their comings and goings were, for all intents and purposes, indistinguishable from general cargo flights except for where the aircraft was parked, which was well away from the civilian terminals and up against the air force hangar.

Having established their Sattahip base of operations, with aircraft stored and assembled, the hangar offices were turned into barracks and mess rooms. Everyone took turns in preparing meals, which occasionally wound up in food fights as some of the team had no fucking idea of how to prepare a meal. From time to time, they would have someone go into Sattahip village and bring back a load of Thai food, which burned going in and burned coming out. Finally, Brute found an old Thai guy in the village who spoke good English and had worked for the Americans cooking on an offshore oil drilling rig. After discussions with the team, they had the Australian Embassy in Bangkok check with Thai security into the old fart’s background. It was all clear, so he was hired. Mess hall problems solved.

It was essential for them to begin their operations role expeditiously with incursions into Cambodia. Ultimately, they were directed to communicate solely with the Vietnam Command HQ – Australian Desk (whatever that meant?) in Saigon.

Apparently, they had been handballed to unfamiliar recipients of their intelligence data and from whom they would receive orders. Having dealt with boffins before, Spider decided to be careful about what specific information he provided or requests he made of them as bureaucrats, as in or out of uniform they usually had a myriad of ways of avoiding a direct answer or would say ‘no’ until pestered to say ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’, which Spider felt impelled to avoid as this left him exposed.

Spider’s usual contact, Commander Coen, was a smart operator and he almost always kept them free from uncertainty by making specific, on-the-spot decisions, and then later informing his masters. Spider guessed that he would then face the flak from CIA and Ministry of Defence on their behalf.

The team sat for a week on their arses at the base with the idle jet boats in need of fuel and rations, which finally arrived from a local supplier.

The HF radio phone finally rang on the desk made out of empty crates in the belly of the C-130 where it and the major lived. He staggered over and grabbed it impatiently, then listened for the beep to sound indicating the code script was about to arrive on the screen. He returned by typing in his code on the keyboard and then the familiar voice of Commander Coen of DIO crackled through.

Coen had been posted to Saigon office and would be overseeing the interface with the US Intelligence desk. At last, Spider felt that they were at least plugged into the system again. A series of encrypted text messages followed that included what new encryption mode to respond with. All comms systems were now up and running.

Specific but not detailed mobilisation orders were issued regarding what they saw as key targets. Their job was to work out how to get to them, observe and report with observations (SITCOM) on civilian and combatant movements, the magnitude of stored ordnance, ship identification, photos and recommendations on how they could neutralise the target without being compromised (a nice way of saying don’t get caught).

They had not shared their revised charts with DIO and definitely not with the US/CIA. This information was their own security blanket against any leaks from any direction. Spider learned this trick for drawing new chart grids off one of his cadet college officers whose dad had been an officer in the Korean War. The enemy would not be able to interpret their chart location references without the master chart in front of them.

Missions on Wings and Water – Cambodia

Major Spider took up each of the Cub aircraft with the reassembled wings for some one-hour low-level test flights and accidentally on purpose flew southeast over the Gulf of Thailand along the coast of Cambodia, but short of the coastal city of Krong Koh Kong with its airport and harbour. Rat rode along to act as observer/spotter in the back seat.

They could see there were a lot of fishing villages and hundreds of small boats out on the water or beached, plus bamboo fishing net structures out on the water that they could bump into. Many fishing hamlets were not marked on the charts that they were provided with back in Darwin (typical lack of so-called intelligence data). This clustering of boats and structures could cause a problem for them at night when setting out using the jet boat radar. So, they marked their charts and photographed them for later cataloguing.

Night marine probing sorties would be the first action to undertake using radar and visual sightings to observe the density of night movements, local boat identification lights and flags, so they could copy the details onto charts and then gauge the extent of harbour mouth congestion. They had to assume that there would also be Thai vessels out there mixed with Cambodian and possibly some Vietnamese to further complicate matters. Not much point losing one’s cover on the first night on the water or you might as well pack up and go home.

On the next day of so-called flight testing, they flew north along the Thai–Cambodian border to look for the unmapped rivers that emptied into the major inland waterway lakes of Tonlé Sap. They located two main water courses close to the Thai border and quite a number of minor tributaries that the jet boats could manage. The only problem would be that they would have to truck the jet boats several hundred miles north without attracting the attention of both countries’ border patrols.

The DIO briefing had provided several aerial photographs showing larger coastal freighter vessels entering and leaving the Mekong Delta leading into Lake Tonlé Sap, and interestingly enough they didn’t appear to be entering the official South Vietnam port area on the coast or near the listed towns around the lake. This may indicate some back-door operations were under way, which could be an alternate cargo port, drug smuggling shipments or covert munitions delivery for the Viet Cong further upriver.

There were too many tributaries for the US Navy to check them all and their underlying mission was to enter from the Cambodian side, which may be unexpected. Their primary job was to track, document, and report back to DIO. Plus, when necessary, they would interdict (blow them up) using the jet boats and trudging through jungles, their raison d’être.

The first foray into the dark tropical waters was tense in the blackout conditions, with only the quiet purr of the big V-8 engine under the well-silenced hood and the gurgle of the water jet propulsion which left a white luminous telltale wake of startled marine organisms lighting up behind them.

The radar screen was shrouded, so only one observer could press his eyes onto the view slot. The rest of the four-man crew took turns at the helm and spread out around the open deck staring into the darkness at the distant shore and bobbing boat lights. Interestingly, it was noted that there were fewer boats moving about on the water at night, which would be a huge advantage.

At last, the first objective was picked up on the radar, the mouth of the delta, and adjacent port break wall. There were no large vessels out in the open water that would have their own radar. Thank God for that as the crew were fairly exposed, being in a metal boat that would be detected.

After four hours wandering ever closer to the harbour mouth, the crew called it a day when less than a mile off the harbour and about-turned, heading parallel to shore back to base. Thus, they gained an impression of where the villages or other navigation points were and marked up the charts for use later on.

The trusty gyrocompass, clock and boat speed instruments were used, which were accurate enough for the purpose. The following night the remainder of the team went out along the same route and verified the chart markings, plus made a few more observations. They would rely on this chart for the remainder of their time there.

After loading up one of the jet boats onto the truck using a winch, they tied it down under the canvas cover and set off toward the Cambodian border to see if they could cross over to the nearest river, which was about 30km from the south coast and only about 10km inside the border. This river provided a direct line of water to the city of Battambang and the east–west highway, then on to the Lake Tonlé Sap area.

The jet boat had been given a dressing down to make it look old. Some of the superstructure was removed and typical woven cargo containers were stacked on deck to hide the M60 machine guns facing forward and aft. The coxswain position was camouflaged to hide the radio and instruments.

With the Cub spotter flights taking the lead overhead to monitor for best tracks over and around the jungle terrain for the loaded truck to drive through after going off-road in Thailand, they made good time and were unobserved heading over the Cambodian border. The truck made it up to the river edge as planned. It was easier to slide the jet boat off into the water than haul it onto the truck at the base with its 44-gallon drums full of extra fuel. The truck then headed quickly back across the Thai border and onto the hard black top surface of the road leading back to base. It was now time for the jet boat to venture north upriver some distance and ascertain what cover or exposure they would have to encounter in order to penetrate up to the lake as far as those ships had gone.

Back at the base, two of their team (pilot and observer) took off in the Cub at sundown/dusk with instructions to navigate up and over the Cambodian harbour using visual observation points such as villages and fishing boat lights while looking for any larger vessels or alternate ports upriver. They could cover over 150 miles before turning back. Their chart markings would be useful for adding to their marine charts for the jet boats to follow.

Chapter 4

Thailand Base Exposed

Their contact in Thailand, the DIO, the Australian Consulate Official with code name verified, was contacted and they drove up to Sattahip. After exchanging code words, they were handed a copy of a composite topographical chart showing the locations and photos of prospective targets. After the base team had briefed them the DIO men headed out of the gates of the base and disappeared.

In the meantime, the team checked out the remaining jet boat, Piper aircraft and stores in advance of receiving anticipated mobilisation orders.

On the following day Spider received a phone call asking him to come for lunch in Pattaya City at a beachside cafe to discuss ‘oil project contracts’. The time and place were agreed and he had one of his key SAS men, Brute, go off base, hire a car locally for cash and then drive him down to Pattaya City, while playing bodyguard just in case that was needed. Both of them were armed with US Army .45 automatic pistols and spare magazines as Spider had the feeling that the Thais or other country agencies were watching them and may pull a fast one – just a hunch!

The short 30km drive from Sattahip base along the coast road to Pattaya City was uneventful and it appeared that they were not tailed. Their rendezvous was specifically designated to be a steak bar on the street parallel with the beach. It was an open-air location with a number of tourists and locals wandering around close by. Not the place for a confidential chat with the DIO man but they had to assume that their masters knew best.

Pattaya City had been a sleepy little fishing village until mid-1959, when several truckloads of United States Marines arrived from bases in Bangkok and many located near the Thai–Lao border for a week’s R&R. Almost overnight beach bars and restaurants opened alongside full-body massage parlours. Word spread rapidly through the jungle telegraph and hundreds of poverty-stricken young Thai beauties from the Isan district of north-eastern Thailand arrived in Pattaya City to entertain the military men and relieve them of their cash. From that year forth the village continued to grow and supply entertainment facilities to satisfy all the wants and needs of its visitors.

‘Brute,’ Spider spoke, ‘as we are impersonating oil patch rig pigs it’s better we don’t address each other with any military rank.’

‘Understood major, Oops, just joking, ha, ha, ha. Have you ever worked on the rigs Spider?

‘No, you?’

‘Yep, I was a ruff-neck for a couple of months some years back in western Queensland, it’s hard fucking Yaka. So where do you call home Spider?’

‘Right now, Melbourne, although I am originally from Perth with a couple of years in South Australia. My parents split up before I was born. Over the years my mother bounced me around foster care establishments, some of which I ran away from. Where do you call home Brute?’

‘South-eastern Queensland. Born and raised a country boy on a wheat farm.’

‘What made you join the army?’

‘Well, something like you Spider. My childhood was filled with drunken family violence and abuse that got me in a little home town jam. The magistrate gave me a choice, jail or Vietnam, so here I am. So far so good. You married Spider?’

‘Nope. You?’

‘Not yet but I do know a couple of strong farm girl beauties that sure could rope me.’

‘I bet you do.’

They ordered a light lunch of green mango salad and a beer at the counter, paid for with local currency, then sat back like the other tourists and began waiting. Their meals arrived promptly but no DIO man.

‘Ya know Brute, I am beginning to think this little adventure is turning into a bit of a cluster fuck.’

‘That’s about what it looks like me old mate.’

They spent a couple of hours just sitting there and the beers turning flat and warm. They never were intended to be drunk as no alcohol while on duty was the rule of the day.

‘Come on Brute, this is a waste of fucking time.’

‘I hear ya.’

They headed back to the car and climbed in ready to head back to base with Spider at the wheel, this time with Brute riding shotgun beside him with the .45 on his lap under a paper napkin from lunch.

A European man wearing casual shorts, baseball cap, bright-coloured T-shirt and riding a black motor scooter came alongside next to Spider and tapped on the driver’s window, which was by now wound halfway down to let out the hot air that stifled the interior while the air conditioning caught up. The rider said nothing and shoved an envelope through the window opening and took off.

Brute had cocked his weapon ready for action and said ‘That is one lucky bastard. He was just seconds away from getting his fucking head blown off’.

‘Yea, I was thinking the same fucking thing.’

Actually, the first thing that crossed Spider’s mind was ‘Is it a bomb?’, but, to his relief it was too flat and too small, so they sat there before driving off and opened it. Inside was a short note stating the following:

They had to prepare a detailed tender proposal within seven days for the intended oil and gas contract mobilisation.

A code number was provided for verification of the message.

They both understood the intent and reality of the instructions; ‘mobilisation’ was the key word. They headed directly back toward the base, only this time they noticed a motorbike sitting back about 100 yards. Every time they stopped in traffic, he stopped, which is unusual as in Thailand the motor scooters and bikes just cut through. Was he a cop or from one of the Thai or other external services?

‘We are being tailed Brute; I am going to pull into the next petrol pump.’

‘Roger that.’

They pulled into the next petrol station with a refreshment stall to see if he would follow them in. He did. Spider pulled the pistol tucked uncomfortably in his belt and placed it in his pants pocket, firmly gripped in his hand in case it was needed in a hurry. Brute placed his pistol in his belt behind his back and kept his hands on his hips.

The rider got off his motorbike and wandered over to the food stall as if interested. Spider walked right up to him while Brute stepped close behind him, close enough for the rider to feel Brute’s breath on the back of his neck. It was evident to the rider that he had just been sucker-punched by thinking they went in for petrol or food and were now standing up close and personal to him. If he did have a weapon, he couldn’t grab it or they would have blocked him or worse.

Without a word Spider nodded his head toward the toilet block at the rear of the petrol station. The rider looked down at Spider’s hand in his pocket and saw the outline of the pistol, then looked at Brute, who wasn’t smiling, and thought better of making a run for it. Behind the toilet block were full smelly rubbish bins and that is where the rider landed on his arse. They frisked him briskly and removed a loaded revolver and some Thai identification cards, which Spider pocketed.

One of them showed a picture of an army officer in uniform but the details were in Thai or Cambodian and they would have to get them translated later. He wasn’t offering any explanation in English as to why he was following them, so they took the motorbike keys off him and tossed them onto the toilet roof.

With no further need for his company, they left the surprised and pissed-off Asian guy sitting in a pile of smelly garbage for his trouble. Spider wondered how he was going to explain to whomever sent him after them in the first place.

This type of business can create deviations into places that one should not go, so they got into the car and drove off in a different direction to where they were headed.

Four plus hours later via back roads, they were back in the outskirts of Pattaya City. In a backpacker hotel lobby, Spider phoned the base and arranged for one of the men to get some transport to pick them up at the beach tonight as they could make it in a couple of hours and it would be dark by then. Corporal Rat was able to leave the base and walk down to the local garage and rent a fruit van off a stall owner. A bit on the rough side but the ride back to the garage and walk back into the base was refreshing. No tail on them this time. They left the car parked and locked near the backpacker hotel and Brute would pick it up the following day.

As the motorbike rider may have their hire car number plates memorised, Spider thought it best for Brute to return the car a week later, with all fingerprints wiped clean and an explanation that it had been stolen but now recovered and then pay off the owner for their trouble. The owner told Brute he had been approached by some Asian men looking for the car several days ago, but he didn’t know who they were and they wouldn’t identify themselves.

They figured it was most likely Thai secret police checking up on Farangs, the Thai slang for white western visitors. However, they were concerned that the base phone line may have been tapped, perhaps their landlords at the marine base may be eavesdropping, or the Australian Consulate staff movements may be monitored and compromised. Possibly a combination of all possibilities was in play, or it was totally paranoia! Nonetheless, additional cautions were taken.

They would have to secure the DIO contacts:

•Validate the letter instructions using the HF radio phone to DIO Australia.

•Have DIO check on what happened in Pattaya City.

•Inform them of their close encounter with the tail and people looking for the hire car.

•Cut off all contacts with Embassy and DIO in Thailand.

•No drives off base without approval.

Bloody wonderful situation, very poor envelope transfer and no wonder their meeting was cancelled. It’s more likely that they might also be exposed if that rider was followed. Very clumsy to have been brought up here to be spotted. It would have been more sensible for them to miss the contact, simply drive back to base and receive a HF radio phone call later. Spider’s mind turned to the possibility that their set-up in the Sattahip hangar may be compromised, so on return his orders were:

•All meetings and assessments will be carried out on board the C-130 (the bird).

•All documents and photo compilations will remain on board the bird as well as keeping it bottled up and locked down (that means tight as a fish’s arse).

•There will be a team on base at all times to keep the base secure and to monitor the HF radio phone.

•All two-way radio frequencies will be changed daily as well as call