[The Communists and “former communists” are still busy. They never went away. I don”t believe the Communists are finished. Personally, I”d like to see their corpses rotting in the streets and in the fields. Its the right thing to do!! Jan]

London – The cloak-and-dagger era of the Cold War may be over, but Britons travelling overseas still need to be wary of spies, the country”s MI5 intelligence agency has warned.

In advice published this week on its Internet site, MI5 – officially called the UK Security Service – warns that spying did not end with the collapse of Soviet communism in the early 1990s and that “espionage against UK interests continues from many quarters”.

Britain is a “priority espionage target” in the modern era, which often involves new communications technology, MI5 said.

Travellers – especially diplomats, scientists, businesspeople, military personnel and the like – should be careful when using telephones, computers and other devices.

Also, “in some countries hotel staff and taxi drivers may be required to report the activity of foreign visitors to the local security service”, the advice says.

“Lavish hospitality, flattery and the “red carpet” treatment are used by some intelligence services to soften up a target for recruitment, who may then feel obliged to co-operate rather than offend the hosts,” MI5 adds.

Even on their return to Britain they could be targeted, travellers are told, being urged to be wary of “requests to meet in hotels, bars and restaurants”.

The advice concludes: “We estimate that at least 20 foreign intelligence services are operating to some degree against UK interests.

“Of greatest concern are the Russians and Chinese. The number of Russian intelligence officers in London has not fallen since Soviet times.” – Sapa-AFP

Source: Independent Online (IOL)
URL: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click…br>