All are perhaps now listening in on our beloved country

Sep 10, 2011 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
“We would want a response because we believe that MI5 and Scotland Yard are now satellites above the British Government.” This was how Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Masood Khan responded to the alleged bugging of the Pakistani High Commission in the United Kingdom during 2001.
A similar report in the British media during 2007 said Indian intelligence clumsily bugged British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s hotel room in Delhi, during the British Prime Minister’s visit to India during 2001. The report contends that Blair’s entourage found the eavesdropping devices, but decided not to make a fuss.
Embassies and diplomatic missions have through the ages been prime targets for espionage. Back in the ’70s, the Russian government was accused of bugging the French Embassy in Moscow which led to attempts of blackmail being committed on the then French ambassador to Russia – dubbed the ‘Swallow’s nest’. (A swallow in intelligence circles is the term given to a female agent employed to seduce people for intelligence purposes).
In that particular episode, the Russians had bugs installed by intelligence operatives who were planted among the workers constructing the French embassy. In fact, most of the local embassy staff were KGB agents. Sometime after, a female agent was sent to have a relationship with the ambassador, and details of the relationship were leaked to the media which referred to the female as a prostitute.
This was followed by attempts at blackmail, political manipulation and threats to release a compromising photograph of the ambassador and this prostitute, which was taken at a Russian resort. The French government, sensing that the ambassador was in trouble, started a rumour that a senior government official was stricken with cancer, dismissed another, and fired up a publicity campaign to promote the ‘serving ambassador’ as most likely to take over the vacant top position.
The Russians, convinced that they had a sufficiently tight grip on their man, relaxed momentarily to provide the necessary latitude for the ambassador to return and take up this supposedly senior position, which should have allowed for greater exploits. However, once in the safety of his countrymen, the French government went public with the story, claiming that the whole campaign was a hoax intended only to secure the safe return of the French ambassador to Russia and declared victory for having out-maneuvered the Russian government.
A recent Associated Press news release stated that Egypt had since freed Iranian diplomat Qassem al- Husseini after arresting him on allegations of spying. Egyptian State Security Agency says the suspect collected sensitive information in order to ‘harm the interest of Egypt’.
The recent revelation that former Commissioner of Police Winston Felix had approached the United States Embassy during his tenure for assistance to have his office checked for eavesdropping devices tells of the length some would go to pursue their nefarious objectives.
More troubling, though, is the fact that the police and perhaps the Joint Services do not have a ‘competent’ technical surveillance countermeasure’ (TSCM) technician to perform those functions. The implications of which could well be, with respect to our national security, friends, foes and curs of low degree, are perhaps by now all listening in on our beloved country.
Clairmont Featherstone

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