by Terry Morgan
CHAPTER 71
It was the start of our first full day in Bangkok. Anna and I had arrived in Bangkok late afternoon the day before and checked in to a hotel off of Sukhumvit Road in the name of David Franklin. As usual I bought myself a new phone and a local SIM card. This time, though, I also bought a new phone for Anna.
We had rehearsed the plan on the plane.
While Colin, Larry and the others were trying get their report read and acted upon back in UK and the USA, I would try to track down David Solomon and Greg O'Brian. But our only hope of finding GOB was to first track down Solomon.
Anna was on her new mobile phone. She had spent an hour trying to contact Pim, Solomon's girlfriend. I was listening in but had to wait for the translation afterwards to know what was said.
"Hello, its Anna from England. Do you remember me? I have come to Bangkok with my husband for a holiday," was how Anna had begun. "Yes, we are going to visit my family in Kanchanaburi."
Pim was not working today. She was shopping in Bangkok with her friend. They were in Siam Paragon. Did Anna know Siam Paragon?
Yes, but it was expensive. Not that that mattered to husband David. Had Pim managed to get the phone number of On as she said she would when Anna had called from England two weeks ago?
No, there are many Ons, but no-one who has a friend called Anna living in England and married to a man called David.
So is your boyfriend, David, in Thailand now?
Yes he's in Thailand but very busy.
I just wondered if your boyfriend David would like to speak to my husband David. I told my husband David about your boyfriend David and he thinks he might know him. My husband David is a member of the Malthus Society. Have you heard of the Malthus Society? He thinks your David is also a member and thinks his last name might be Solomon. Is that right?
Yes, that's right. But my David is a very busy man. And I have my friends here. They want to eat now.
Do you have your boyfriend's mobile phone for my husband to call him?
I don't know the number. He phones me. He doesn't give his number to anyone. But I'll tell him you called. What is your husband's number?
Anna had given her my new phone number and said goodbye.
"I don't think she likes me anymore," said Anna disappointedly. "What do we do now?" she asked, clearly disappointed she had not got what I really wanted.
"We wait, Anna. He might phone. On the other hand we've got several other directions we can go. It's my turn now."
I contacted the US Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences - AFRIMS - through the American Embassy. Saying I was an epidemiologist from England doing research on Influenza. I asked if there was any other laboratories in Thailand besides the one I already knew about - the Kamphaeng Phet-AFRIMS Virology Research Unit - KAVRU - doing similar research. I was put through to an American accent.
"Yeh. Hi, I'm Captain Karen Thompson, how can I help?"
I explained again who I was - David Franklin - and what I needed to know.
"Well, we work with KAVRU on stuff like that," Karen said.
"Yes, but are there any other similar laboratories doing the same sort of thing? Influenza testing, virology research, that sort of thing."
"Well, there's the Virology Association, there's several HIV centres around, you got the Thailand Science Park and you got other Universities doing some. What are you looking for?"
I wondered whether to spill the beans completely and tell all but it didn't feel right just yet. We still needed to prove a few things.
"Any private laboratories?"
"No, not as far as I know."
"Might the Thailand Science Park know more?" I suggested.
"Yeh, why not give them a call."
"You know a guy called David Solomon, a virologist from USA? Have you come across him?"
"David Solomon you say?"
"Yes. He worked for a company called Biox in USA. He's a world authority on influenza viruses. I heard he was working here in Thailand."
"Hang on, sir. Let me ask."
I waited.
"Mister Franklin? Sure. He's known. I understand he sometimes teaches at Thammasat University. He's visited KAVRU a few times."
"Any idea where he is now?"
"Sorry...............hang on again. My colleague says he is still here. He has a girlfriend at Thammasat. He lectures on bio-safety. Seem like the guy?"
"That's him," I said. "I'll bet his girlfriend is called Pim. Thanks for your help. I might be in touch again soon."
"Sure, you take care."
I switched my phone off and looked at Anna. "We're getting closer," I said. "Let's try Larry's friend Doctor Vichai."
I knew from Larry Brown that KAVRU - the American Armed Forces Virology Unit based in Kamphaeng Phet in central Thailand was where Doctor Vichai was based. It was Doctor Vichai who I had watched speaking at the Infectious Diseases Conference and who had revealed the possible implication of asthma inhalers to Larry when Larry had enquired about his fictitious English girlfriend Emily Sinclar. If anyone knew about a foreign virologist working in Thailand it must be Doctor Vichai.
It took me an hour to reach him on a mobile phone but it was worth it.
"Ah, yes," said Doctor Vichair after I had introduced myself as an epidemiologist and said I'd attended the recent Infectious Diseases Conference. "Yes, Doctor Solomon, he has visited us several times. He stayed with us for a month to teach some of our technicians."
"Do you know where he is now?"
"Ah yes, I expect he is in Bangkok. He travels abroad but he also has connections with the Thailand Science Park. He is very experienced and well known internationally for his work on influenza viruses. We are very lucky to know him."
"Yes, he has become very well known to me, " I said looking at Anna again. "Do you have a contact phone number or email address or anything?"
"Ah yes, but I am in a taxi. But if you call KAVRU and ask for Sarapee, she might know."
"Sarapee," I repeated. "Thank you so much Doctor Vichai. Perhaps we will meet again soon."
Less than five minutes later I had a mobile phone number and an email address. "We don't normally give out phone numbers but as you've spoken to Doctor Vichai I'm sure it's OK."
Clearly, there were circumstances when Solomon wanted to be contactable. But this was the lead we needed.
It was midday in Bangkok, 1am in Washington and 6 am in London. Colin had been in his office since 3am and was still trying to phone me. When he finally got through to me he could not disguise his excitement.
"Thank God, Daniel. I've been trying you for an hour. I was beginning to think you'd given me a duff phone number.
"Listen. I've been up all night. We've got Washington buzzing, Daniel. The report has made all the difference. Senator Mary Collis has pulled strings and Larry's been at it non-stop since he got back.
"Not only that but I've now spoken to Lord Peterson, myself. Basically threatened that government policy on bio-medical research was in tatters if they allowed uncontrolled research on flu viruses and that the government response to signs of a potential flu pandemic would be seen as totally inadequate unless they took notice. I emailed him the report. Then I spoke to the Home Office - the report went straight in and was backed up by Peterson. All of a sudden Peterson had nothing but praise for Kevin and Tom for raising it - strange isn't it? The Home Secretary was briefed by a senior civil servant last night, the PM and Health Secretary were notified and, as a result we've got action, Daniel."
"Good, Colin. But before you tell me, any news about Jimmy?"
"No, sorry old man, but nothing. However from what is now happening we might get something on that as well. The good news, Dan, is that Interpol are being asked to help. The report enabled Senator Collis to cut through all the red tape within hours and instead of red tape we're getting red notices. And I've been told that GOB will go onto their wanted list.
"It transpires they've been watching him for yea
rs. It's all the stuff I was able to pick up - fraud and embezzlement and they've added in money laundering, He travels under different names - that accounts for the Nairobi hotel not having him registered. And if he's in Thailand then the Thai police will have a special interest in him. They already have an Anti-Corruption Commission and there's an initiative called StAR - the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative. GOB's details are to be circulated probably within the next twenty four hours.
"As for David Solomon - it's more tricky. They are working on it. He can't be classified as a terrorist without more facts. He's also a British citizen. He could easily slip through the net if we aren't careful.
"Now, listen, Daniel. This is important. I'm sat here trying to get the Thai Police to understand your role in all this so you can work with them. But, fact is, I suspect you entered Thailand under a false passport yourself. Am I right? This makes it tricky. You, too, could, be arrested by under Thai Immigration rules. But the British Embassy in Bangkok have been told by the Foreign Office here about the case. They know that Interpol are being engaged and that David Solomon is a British citizen. I'm not sure how fast things work but I've asked someone at the Foreign office here to speak to the British Embassy about you, tell them you're in Bangkok working undercover on the case. It might help."
I was sitting next to Anna on the bed in our Bangkok hotel room. If to Colin sitting in London I sounded frustrated, then I was. "Christ, Colin. I'm here as David Franklin because I'm probably known by GOB as Daniel Capelli working for your company, Asher and Asher. Anna has also spun this yarn to Solomon's girlfriend that I'm called David. And, what's more, every phone call Anna and I make as we sit here, the closer we're getting to Solomon. I'm about to try phoning the guy - he's that damn close."
"Yes, but you must see the little issue we've got, Daniel."
"Yes, Colin. I understand," I said. "Leave it with me. The solution might, in fact, be sat right next to me though I didn't want to involve Anna to that extent."
"OK," Colin said, "But, my advice is go into the British Embassy, ask for assistance and come clean. I'm sure, under the circumstances, they'll help."
"So do we have any idea where GOB is?" I asked.
"Thailand?" It was a question not a statement.
"Bloody big country, Colin. He could be sat in the next room for all I know. On the other hand he might already have come and gone - flown off somewhere. My guess is he came here to see Solomon but that he might go to Singapore to catch up with his consignment of inhalers."
"Well, that's what the Thai police and Immigration will look into. They'll check photos, ID, passports, hotel registrations. Thanks to you they will know what flight and airline he came in on. The Thai police are good, Dan. That's why it would be good for you to work alongside them. But they also have their procedures to follow and I don't want them to be speaking to you from behind bars at Bangkok police HQ."
"And I'm still worried about Jimmy," I said.
"Yes, and the Kenyan Police will also be working with Interpol. So Dominique Lunneau will be on their list as well as an inspection of the Shah Medicals factory site that you and Jimmy know so well. And they will track the two shipments that went out - including the one to Singapore. So Singapore Interpol will be involved. Have we been busy, Daniel?"
"Yes, very good, Colin. And what about Egypt?"
"Yes, Interpol Cairo as well. They will have the names El Badry, Al Khoury and others and two businesses to look at - the Shah Medical Centre and the site at Beni Suef. So your friends down there including Guy Williams and Jan de Jonge might get a rude awakening. The net is closing, Daniel. I just hope we are in time to stop the release of this virus."
"And our net is closing on David Solomon. I just hope he's still in Thailand. Just tell me, what's the Interpol take on Solomon? As there is no international consensus regarding the definition of terrorism or a terrorist what can the Thai police do?"
"Interesting question. But I believe the plan will be to arrest him on suspicion of plotting to make a biological weapon. They can certainly bring him in for questioning. And another thing, Daniel, Virex phoned again. You still haven't contacted them."
"No, because I haven't finished the investigation for them. But we're getting damned close to identifying their problem right now. If they phone again just tell them I'm working on it. But they and their industry are partly to blame for all this. So have the US and UK authorities woken up to that issue yet? Virex and Biox should be held partly responsible for this. Fingers need to be pointed somewhere and so long as the fingers don't point at themselves, politicians are usually pretty good at that. I wouldn't want to be Charles Brady or Josh Ornstein just at this moment.
"Meanwhile, do I wait until all the red tape is complete and replaced by red notices to Interpol? Or do I carry on as if nothing has yet happened? Do I ask the Thai police to help now because we're closing in on Solomon and GOB and so risk my own arrest? Or do I delay it a while longer until they've got their red notices in place? Do I wait until the local police chief has decided on a plan of action, then given instructions to their army of police officers to act? Or do I carry on as if nothing has yet happened and wait until we've got him cornered?"
"Your call, Daniel. You decide."
"OK, I appreciate the speed you're working at Colin. It's fantastic. We're a good partnership. But, meanwhile, here's my high tech solution. I'll give you what I believe to be Solomon's phone number. I'm not sure if you can track a phone that's not switched on but if Anna phones you to say that I've got Solomon on the phone right that minute, could you see if, with all the high technology at your fingertips these days, you can track where he is?"
"Let's try," said Colin.