4. Treated cornplants on the organic farm
So last night I did not know what to do. I did not feel like going back to the farm, because by now Mr S was already quite alarmed. Also it was possible that after my leaving he had spoken to other people who could have told him: this farang on his motorcycle has been here three times in two days !! That would have set on all the alarms. So if I would go back it could be dangerous.
It was unbelievably lucky that the really dangerous people were far away ( 200 km ) and that I knew it! And that I even knew that they would only be back on monday. (With really dangerous I mean: they know what to do. They are really responsable for situations like this. My Mr S had a completely other job, and normally has no responsability for secrets/security.)
Also it helped that Mr. S was very soft spoken and shy-ish, although the second time I met him on B 2, he was really critical and almost angry. He really suspected something. But as he had told me about the farm himself he then saw no real good motive anymore to be suspicious.(That is what I think)
It was only in the morning of dec. 16 around 10 oclock that I had decided that probably later that day I was going to go back to the farm. It was because I had gotten a good idea: if the treated seeds were used on B 2, and if on one of the fields the corn was still small enough, then I could pick out some small corn plants and it would still have the seed on the root. And the red-purple chemical would still be visible, and that would be the proof of fraud !!
I started the day with a visit to a fertilizer seller. I had met his wife completely by coincidence, and she spoke a little english. She had given her bussiness card then, and had said that her husband would call me to give the email adress. Which he did not of course. But now I called them and asked if I could come. It appeared to be a very informative visit. I have described it earlier today. Even from the point of Nitrogine it is quite doubtful if one can grow organic corn here. (I have written about that some other email)
Around 1600 hours I left K. for B. About 3 km before the entrance I decided to drink a coffee and call home. I asked my wife to keep in contact while I would go on the B 2 farm, and tape all that I would say in my telephone. Just as a safety precaution: Two million dollar is a lot of money in Thailand, but a mans life is cheap sometimes.
At about 16.35 I took my motorbike and drove by the entrance. No guard. But it was too early: There would still be some personel , although 2 days before I had the impressiopn that a lot of them left shortly after 4 o’clock. Also it could be that Mr. S would bring a last visit to B2. To avoid all that , and yet not be too late ( I did not want to drive home in the dark) , I decided to go at 17.05 hours, via the main entrance, as the guard was off.
On driving back I saw the few people living along that stretch of road looking at me: ‘Strange!, this farang was just driving towards B. and now already he came back. Strange too that he is driving slowly.’ This is what I saw they were thinking. I felt that I could not keep driving along the road and looked for a side-road. But if there was one, there was always a house back there. Just opposite pole with nr 12 I found what I looked for. Parked my bike and sat in the gras. I started waiting. Waiting for the right moment to do my dangerous and secretive task. I felt like a warrior in Akira Kurosawa’s ‘The seven Samurai’ : it loooked like he was just dozing off lying under a tree, but when he was attacked his defense was well prepared and quick like a flash. The attacker was killed immediately. It was difficult to wait. But I knew I would have to do it.
At 17.05 I started my motor and drove of. I was so nervous that I did not see the entrance with the guard house. I had passed it. I decided to take the illegal entrance, which all the workers use. (I had learned about it 2 days before, when I followed them.) Bad luck: on the open space just next to this entrance there was a market going on today. Ten , twenty people must have seen me, turning of into the woods. But turning back could also be conspicious.
The advantage was: now the risk of meeting Mr S on his way out was nihil: he drove by car and could not use the path. Also now I could see his car standing at the mechanics place from out of the cover of the woody area. If I would have entered by the official gate I would have been seen before coming to the mechanics house.
The thing is: I had noted more or less which crops were growing where, but not too profoundly and detailed yet. It is on tape. So I knew not where the small corn was standing: near the gate or near the illegal entrance. I thought it was near the gate.
But I was very lucky: it was one of the earlier fields : just between the two plastic houses on the right and the 16 plastic houses on the left. On the north side. The field is not rectangular: the street side is a little shorter than te back side of the field.
I was speaking to my wife and she taped it on the recorder at home. I had not put on my own tape recorder. Too nervous. Not necessary.
I put my motorbike on the stand and walked about six meters into the field.
I dug out a small corn plant: The seed was red!
I dug out a second plant: The seed was very red. I put them in the pocket of my newly bought coat and left the field immediately. I had looked around first and saw no movement anywhere. My wife said that she would call me back in 15 minutes.
End of part 4.