Shadows of Shelly

Brit - The Battles Never End Part 19a

NINETEEN-a

Brit - The Battles Never End

I have been elevated to Group Commander over three in-country squadrons. One in Chiang Mai, another at Ubon Ratchathani, and the third is on a small un-named island south of Phuket. We work beside all three Royal Thai military branches, the U. S. Navy and Marines. I am known as the boy Colonel. Most of our work is covert. Royal Thai Intelligence is integrated in everything we do.

The base Southeast of Phuket is where the Andaman Sea and the Thai Gulf blend together. The Royal Thai Navy operates two dozen PT boats renovated from the end of World War Two. They are used for search, rescue and patrol. Those seeking relief from China's Warlords and Chinese infiltrators both travel these waters. The spies often look like the poor refugees. Yet, they are usually dressed better and speak perfect Thai.

The refugees have a gaunt appearance. Their eyes glare with the lack of luster. The children, men and women stumble when walking. Their Chinese is broken, uneducated and labored.

Those seeking a better life travel on crude rafts, and half of them do not survive the trip. Thai border patrol and intelligence agents interview all immigrants and sift through all their belongings to discover those who are the bad and the good. The ones that they are not sure of receive further interrogation where they are held in a containment area. Those detained are treated fairly and fed good meals. The bad are eliminated.

Thais are peace-loving and fair people. The men seeking an improved life have several opportunities for employment. The Front-Line Thai Guard is the highest paid position. The next selections are those with academic or technical skills that can be used for training others. The last group are intense government labor teams like road construction, water improvement works, and farm laborer projects. All the plans have five years of supervised advancement programs that lead to Thai citizenship and employability.

The Conflict Arena

More of our missions are within Thailand. The Pink Handkerchief gang no longer wear a black suit. It seems like we eliminate one group of lawbreakers and another two appear. We need to find where their core leadership resides and get rid of them. We do not know how extensive the group is in Thailand. Every day whole villages disappear. Young women and girls are maimed, mutilated and murdered. They lay in decaying heaps. My limbs become rigid, and my face reddens from reports of the bombings. College and workers protests are the result of their propaganda.

There is a stench about them and the stares are demonic. The women who have been molested are hesitant in their gait, and the slightest noise causes them to cringe.