Bangkok Post: Real Time
Friday March 21, 2008

THIS IS LIFE

On the case

Former FBI agent Meyung Robson is now one of Bangkok's rising star chefs

VANNIYA SRIANGURA

If there is one person who would seem an ideal subject for This is Life, that person would have to be Meyung Robson. Her life story, her personality, her looks - all are just heartening.

The daughter of a Vietnamese three-star general, Meyung was crowned Miss Saigon 1970 before becoming a victim of war. In 1975 she arrived in the United States as a refugee and her first job was working in a strawberry orchard. But before anyone even noticed, she enrolled at the FBI Academy and eventually became an agent - the first ever Vietnamese to join the special force.

At 57, Meyung is now a retired investigator, a proud mother of two, and, believe it or not, a rising star chef in Bangkok. Her restaurant, Xuan Mai, on Sukhumvit Soi 13 (see page 13) has become a cherished eatery among local foodies, not because of its owner's exciting life story but because of the oh-so-delicious food it serves. Now, other than being a full-time restaurateur, she is trying to write her memoirs.

Talking with Meyung was both fun and inspiring. You'd never know when an exciting anecdote from her life would crop up, and every time it'd make your jaw drop or simply laugh out loud.

How did a Vietnamese refugee come to join the FBI?

I wanted to join the FBI first and foremost as a repayment to the American people for taking me into their country and giving me a new home.

And by repaying the favour I also wanted to help my own people - the two million Vietnamese refugees who came to the States - if they got into trouble because of their limited command of English.

So I applied to be an interpreter at the FBI, which back then had no idea of how to hire a Vietnamese person. But they took a leap of faith by hiring me. Now they have quite a few Vietnamese people in the bureau, including my younger brother, who's an FBI agent.

How tough was it to qualify as an FBI agent?

Very tough. You have to go through a 16-week training programme at Quantico Marine base in Virginia. And to pass the training you have to score at least 85 percent in 10 exams. If you get 83 or 84 percent, they'll pack your bags and ship you out within half a day.

One of the tests was to fire 8,000 live rounds. As a woman it was hard for me to even hold a gun steadily, fire it and not hurt myself. But I was going to have to deliver or else. Because if I got kicked out from Quantico I'd have no job to go to. For the FBI you have to quit your job before you even go into training, so that leaves you with no choice.

What did you do before you decided to join the force?

I worked as an assistant registrar at State University of New York at Stony Brook. I had three years of law school in Vietnam and graduated with a degree in Political Science and French.

What does it take to become an FBI agent?

The most important thing is motivation - the passion. You have to really want to do it. I have seen quite a few people who joined the FBI and they had the best credentials. They were top executives or big CEOs, but those people are the ones that tend to fail more. I was so motivated. I really wanted to help my people and repay the kindness of the American people.

What exactly does an FBI agent do?

Right now, I believe there are approximately 360 kinds of federal violations that the FBI has been mandated to investigate.

But when I first started in 1984, newcomers began with investigating applicants. In other words, we investigated the background of applicants who want to become FBI personnel. Then you moved on and the next step was the bank robbery. Whenever there's a bank robbery they'd call you on the radio and say who would be the first one to come out. But you don't do it on your own. You have a tutor, a partner who's been on the job for a few years. He would help you out and guide you. It was just wonderful. Camaraderie lasts from the day you step into the FBI Academy until the end of your career. Camaraderie in hard times is even thicker than blood.

Can you share some of your most challenging cases?

I have so many achievements. I was responsible for the arrest of two of the top 10 most wanted fugitives on the FBI's list. One was a Vietnamese guy who fled back to Vietnam. You know, up to this day we still don't have an extradition treaty between the US and Vietnam. If anybody commits a crime in the US and flees to Vietnam, Vietnam isn't obliged to return them.

So I'm very proud because I was the one who built the bridge between the FBI and the Vietnamese police who eventually returned the fugitive to the States.

The second case you may already know is Eric Rosser, who was a paedophile in Bangkok. At that time, I worked at the FBI legal attache office at the US Embassy in Bangkok. There were thousands of leads and calls and we had to follow up every single one of them. We finally arrested him in 2001.

So you came here as a diplomat for the FBI?

Yes, back in 1999. And when I retired I decide to stay on.

Tell me about that Sunday picnic in Minnesota where you trapped the bad guys with your food.

Oh, that was so funny. As I was waiting for my relocation to Thailand, I had to sit back in my office in Minneapolis and was really bored. So I said to my colleague, "Let's do something outrageous!"

Since Minneapolis is a crosspoint of traffic, criminals also use it as their hub. And there were so many criminals there that we hadn't been able to keep track of. So I came up with a bright idea. That summer I convinced my boss to give me US$5,000 and I went out and bought a set of alloy wheels and a huge pig.

I made up a flyer saying that there would be a pig roast and a lucky draw at a park on Sunday with the wheels as one of the prizes. The first prize would be a first-class trip to Las Vegas, which was bogus. We put up flyers all over the places where the gang guys loved to hang out. And, well, that Sunday morning, you wouldn't believe that over 200 of them came.

We had an FBI photographer hiding in our one-way mirror van and taking photographs of their license plates. And just to be sure, I said, "Since you guys are here, enjoy the food and have a good time, give me your name and we're gonna do a silent prize draw." And sure enough, all of them wrote their names and addresses with their social security numbers, their mobile phone numbers, and even their mum's and dad's!

One gang leader even came to me and asked if I could cater for her wedding. I said "Sure". It was so wonderful.

Your food is indeed very charming. Where did you learn to cook?

I think it was God's gift. Take me anywhere in the world and I can guarantee you that I'd eat a dish, come home and produce better, if not equal. I have the gift of taste.

And because working at the FBI was so stressful and dangerous, when I got home I'd kick off my shoes and immerse myself in my kitchen and cook for my family and I'd feel real happiness. It was almost like meditation.

What do you think about Vietnamese food in Thailand?

I was truly disappointed. I'm not saying that they are not good restaurants but if my counterparts in the Vietnamese restaurant business would forgive me, the most important thing in Vietnamese cuisine is the sauce, like the fish sauce and the bean sauce. But what most of them use are not authentic sauces and they tend to put lots of additives. I don't use food colouring and MSG. I try to stay as authentic as possible.

So when people ask me what do I think of this and that Vietnamese restaurant I always say, "I'm sorry but I think I prefer to eat at home. No offence."

Why did you decide to stay here and not go back to the States?

First of all this is home to me. I'm divorced and I don't have a home in the US. I've been away for too long now. Occasionally I would fly to the US but it seems like there's something missing. You don't feel like you belong. I used to have a home but I lost it in the process of divorcing my husband.

So Thailand is really my home. I love Thailand. I love the people. I love the gentleness of Thai people. Unfortunately at my age I can't pick up the Thai language very well.

What do FBI agents usually do after retiring?

That's a good question. Normally quite a few of us go on and work as private investigators. Some of us work in security. But I would say one thing for sure: they could become a restaurateur.

As a female ex-FBI agent can you give any advice to women on how to catch a cheating husband?

I was in that situation once. Though I've spent 20 years as an investigator my view is very far-sighted, I cannot see things that are very close to me.

I would say, first of all, since a relationship is built on trust, once you break that trust, you have to decide for yourself whether it is worthwhile to go and 'catch.' You have to communicate before you start catching.

However, if you have to come to that point, the best thing you can do is to open your eyes. In every case where there's wrongdoing there are always clues. A criminal can lie to a lie-detecting machine, but they cannot lie to themselves and they always leave a clue, especially during communication. That is what I was taught at the FBI. So you have to communicate and look for clues.

Any last words?

I'd like to tell other women that nothing is impossible. You just take your passion and motivation, bring them out there, and work them out. Look at me, I started this restaurant from scratch. Now many people have approached me and asked if I wanted to branch out. I don't know if I want to or not. I'm just enjoying everything that I have now. Tomorrow is another question.