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And it never worked. Or, has it? Sometimes unorthodox or different methods bring different ends. What I really meant is, not exactly as to how much you'd expect to earn for the same job at their place, but what extra you could earn for allowing them to know what you're doing. You reckon the situation was actually a bit scary. People, when under such threat that you fear for your life or your family's or... what have you, could do many things they wouldn't do, just thinking of protecting themselves.
I am also acutely aware of competing companies trying to steal intellectual property, but this method was way more unorthodox than anything I'd ever experienced. Normally those guys just come up, point blank, and offer you a job for more money.
It may not be Malay. It probably wasn't indeed, although you should not doubt that even them have and had, where it can be needed, people with the necessary ruse and english language skills.
I've thought about Malay involvement since then. The biggest issue there is the Malay government was fairly backward (all due respect), I worked for them. I doubt they could have come up with that level of a ruse back then, especially with foriegn associates. Most of them couldn't even speak English.
Oh and you're right at it. I've never said or thought that you are any coward of course. What you did is proper and right in your situation. That's perhaps what the test, had it be one, was all about. Making sure that you'd stick to the rules and not give it all out for a few notes.
My reactions were exactly as I had been trained; listen, learn and disengage. Call me a coward, but that's what I did.
Well you can be sure anyway that if anything relevant to national (any nation) security had occured then, you'd have had a contact with more than embassies. So actually and in all logic the most likely is that it was either your company, or another company trying/testing.
Did I report my experience to the company? Yes, actually, I did. Did I take it to the Embassy? No, I didn't. Was I debriefed / grilled on it? No, I wasn't, I was only asked a couple of times afterwards if I'd had any problems with similar people...and I hadn't.
Naaah I never said that really. I could not picture you rocketing out of the bar in a trail of flames, all screaming and crying, could I? Fully understand that. That was a picture word and if you think it is inadequate then, sorry and I'll just speak of getting out of it then
Lastly, I didn't "run away". (...) I was just following the rules in a VERY unperdictable situation.
Defence issues are crowded with electronic systems. From the simplest to the most complex, from overt to covert, from basics to high-tech. The implications of sometimes so simple things can be surprising at times, and many small things piece up together into a much bigger one that no one knows yet.
but it wasn't like I was working on some kind of defense issues, merely electronic systems.
It was in 1997 instead, October to November. But yeah I suppose it makes quite some sense that embassies start mailing their nationals in situations that ... hot!
Originally posted by Flyingclaydisk
the fires in '96 in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Originally posted by SplitInfinity
reply to post by Flyingclaydisk
Sounds like you were shook down by your companies security dept.
A U.S. Intel. Agency WOULD NEVER do what you just posted. They would watch but not let you know you were being watched.
Originally posted by Flyingclaydisk
I guess the one thing I didn't really post, or question; the one theme I didn't capture was...could one possibly be set up to go work a job, unknowingly, which might result in some kind of intelligence for another order of intelligence gathering?
That's what if felt like. Just felt like if you did you job, everything was fine; you were doing the right thing. But, in the background, there was a more important purpose. It wasn't that my particular job was so important as much as the role I played, or the people I interacted with. Perhaps that was more important than anything I did.
That was really my question.
Hence: you could be a spook and not really know it.edit on 1/8/2013 by Flyingclaydisk because: edit