How did Paul Kiong keep the 13th Regiment unaware of Fifth Assault Unit defections?

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Paul Kiong kept the 13th Regiment unaware of Fifth Assault Unit defections by running a covert, controlled communications and deception system for six years

Paul Kiong, acting as the ground commander under Operation Bamboo, orchestrated the en bloc defection of the Fifth Assault Unit while keeping the Communist Party of Malaya’s armed wing, the 13th Regiment, uninformed for six years. He maintained frequent undercover contact with the Fifth Assault Unit through his courier role, delivering secret messages and provisions while deliberately controlling delivery times and quantities. He also used defectors to lure more communist fighters to surrender, with gunfights kept as a last resort, which helped sustain the appearance of ongoing operations.
He used controlled courier communications to manage what the 13th Regiment saw
Kiong’s role as a courier meant he transported “roll-slips” and other secret messages to communist guerrilla units, and he also carried provisions. He did not simply deliver supplies; he deliberately reduced certain items and delayed deliveries to maintain regular contact and influence conditions on the ground. By controlling what and when the Fifth Assault Unit received, he helped prevent the 13th Regiment from learning about defections during the six-year period.
He relied on turncoats to keep defections flowing without open breakdown
Kiong described a process where captured communist terrorists were treated well, given proper meals, and repeatedly spoken to about abandoning communism. He then used these turncoats to lure more communist fighters to defect, with gunfights treated as a last resort. This approach meant that defections could expand through persuasion and attraction rather than exposing the Fifth Assault Unit through immediate, chaotic combat outcomes.
He manipulated supply items like salt and condoms to induce desertion
Kiong said he manipulated essential items to pressure members of the communist group into leaving. He would purposely give less salt to induce muscle cramps, and he also controlled the supply of condoms and old newspapers based on what he believed the group’s internal situation was. He claimed that giving fewer condoms could trigger accidental pregnancies, which would then lead to desertion, supporting continued departures without forcing a direct confrontation.
The 13th Regiment only learned when the Fifth Assault Unit surrendered in 1989
The 13th Regiment, operating in southern Thailand, remained unaware of what was happening to the Fifth Assault Unit until the unit surrendered in 1989. Kiong said that for six years the 13th Regiment was supplying weapons and funds to the Fifth Assault Unit whenever it asked, “whenever they asked at our behest,” and “they had no clue.” This timeline anchors how long the deception and controlled operations held the 13th Regiment in the dark.

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How did Paul Kiong keep the 13th Regiment unaware of Fifth Assault Unit defections?

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