Is someone listening? | Bangkok Post: learning

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Deputy Education Minister Sakda Khongpetch believes someone must be secretly listening into to his private office conversations and has called in ISOC to help.

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Deputy Education Minister Sakda Khongpetch shows the hole in his desk that could indicate a bugging device was placed there. THITI WANNAMONTHA

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Is someone listening?

Deputy Education Minister Sakda Khongpetch said he became suspicious after information from a confidential meeting held in his office was somehow leaked to the press.

The discussion, he said, was about a probe into alleged mismanagement of the 5.3-billion-baht procurement scheme at the Office of the Vocational Education Commission (Ovec).

"Some details were discussed privately in my office. How could outsiders know about them?" he said.

They couldn’t, he believed, unless his office had been bugged. Mr Sakda asked the Internal Security Operations Command to check his office on Saturday. The Isoc detected eavesdropping signals but found no bugging device.

They did find possible signs of a bugging device, however. The deputy minister opened his office to members of the media yesterday and showed them a small hole under his desk, covered by a plastic-like substance.

He says will have his desk dismantled and room swept for bugging devices next week.

Adapted from a story it today’s Bangkok Post

deputy – a person whose rank is immediately below that of the leader of an organisation รอง
bug – to put a special device (= a bug ) somewhere in order to listen secretly to other people's conversations  ดักฟัง
device – a machine or piece of equipment that does a particular job อุปกรณ์ เครื่องมือ เครื่องจักร
suspicious – making you believe that something is wrong, dangerous or illegal น่าสงสัย
confidential – secret, often in a formal, business or military situation ที่เป็นความลับ
leak – to tell private or secret information to journalists or to the public ทำให้รู้ความลับ
press – newspapers and magazines, and those parts of television and radio which broadcast news, or reporters and photographers who work for them สื่อมวลชน
probe – an attempt to find out the truth about an issue, problem or accident, made by an official group (or by the media); an investigation การตรวจสอบ  การสอบสวน
alleged – claimed to be true although not yet proven ที่ถูกกล่าวหา
mismanagement – organising or controlling something badly การจัดการผิด
procurement – the process of buying supplies or equipment for a government department or company การจัดซื้อวัสดุ เครื่องมือสำหรับบริษัท หรือหน่วยงานของรัฐ
scheme – a plan that is developed by a government or large organisation in order to provide a particular service for people  แผนการ โครงการ
vocational – teaching the skills necessary for particular jobs  การสอนวิชาชีพ การสอนอาชีวศึกษา
commission – a group of people who have been formally chosen to discover information about a problem or examine the reasons why the problem exists คณะกรรมการ, คณะกรรมาธิการ
details – small facts or pieces of information relating to a situation รายละเอียด
private – intended for or involving a particular person or group of people, not for people in general ส่วนตัว
Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) – a unit of the Thai military devoted to national security issues กองอำนวยการรักษาความมั่นคงภายใน (กอ.รมน.)
detect – to find or prove that something is present using scientific methods พบ
eavesdrop – to listen secretly to what other people are saying  ลอบฟัง, แอบฟัง
sign – a piece of evidence that something is happening or that something exists  ร่องรอย
media – newspapers, television, radio, etc. สื่อ
substance – a particular type of liquid, solid, or gas สาร
dismantle – to take something apart รื้อ
sweep – to move over an area, especially in order to look for something

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