8
EESTI ELU reedel, 9. juulil 2021 — Friday, July 9, 2021
Nr. 27
The Estonian Central Council in Canada joins First Nations Indigenous communities in mourning Residential School victims
English-language supplement to the Estonian weekly “EESTI ELU” Tartu College Publications Founding Chairman: Elmar Tampõld Editor: Laas Leivat 3 Madison Avenue, Toronto, ON M5R 2S2 T: 416-733-4550 • F: 416-733-0944 • E-mail: editor@eestielu.ca Digital: www.eestielu.ca
Estonian spy bought for pocket money (II) On March 2, Estonian marine scientist Tarmo Kõuts was convicted for supplying vital NATO information to Chinese military intelligence. Forensic financial analysis indicated he had been paid 17,000 euros over three years for betraying his country and its allies. The seventeen thousand euros seemed to be rather meagre for the risk the collaborator was taking. But, as outlined by intelligence professionals, the usual compensation, is surpris ingly low, even for delivering highly classified information to a hostile power. Chinese and Russian intelli gence personnel assigned to foreign operations are the front line recruiters for their agencies. Often working alongside counter-intelligence specialists, they know full well how most spies are detected and exposed. One personal aspect of an adversary country’s recruit that may change from his normal lifestyle is spending habits. Thus counter-intelligence inves tigations take a close look at a suspect’s financials. Recruiters know this and are cautious in offering high amounts of cash. However, compensation may also be made in luxury trips, flight and hotel upgrades. Intelligence operatives usually can be more discreet in making this type of payment, keeping it hidden from counter-intelligence investigators, but only if sur veillance is done randomly and it’s obvious to them that the subject can’t afford upgrades on a regular basis. Delivering payments them selves is one of the riskier aspects for both handlers and spies, as are safely communi cating in general and maintain ing those contacts hidden. Planning and making contacts are also tediously time-consum ing. It boosts anxiety levels as do the large amounts of cash that most recruits constantly demand. The reward must be enough to boost the spy’s sense of self-importance and improve his lifestyle – in a modest way, but below that which would elicit unwanted attention. Spying for a foreign adver sary invites enormous risks –
just recall the poisonings of Russian intelligence defectors in the UK. Traitors in their home country can expect life sentences or execution. Except for a few dramatic exceptions, spies who are will ing to risk their lives do it for little or modest payment, not for ideology, personal principles or ego. Counter-intelligence professionals generally agree that greed is the most common motivator for someone to betray their country. Handlers say that spies prompted by money are much easier to control and direct than those spurred by loftier induce ments. Arguments with those attracted by cash usually only centre on the slow delivery of payments. While “legal coercion” is also straight forward in main taining handler-spy relationships, disputes with ideologically moti vated recruits are much more complicated. These spies need constant ego stroking and reassurance that their efforts are immensely appreciated. To determine the suitability of potential recruits, detailed psychological profiles are compiled for each subject. It’s known that for the Soviet Union and now for Russia, this preparation often involves the input of not only professional intelligence officers. For instance, during the Soviet occupation, all members of Estonia’s VEKSA delega tions making cultural exchange visits to the west were ordered to supply personal information on Estonians they met abroad, detailing drinking habits, wealth, their friends, political disposition, etc. In the 1990’s, having access to KGB files, this writer read hundreds of reports about in dividual Estonians in the west, written by civilians returning from organized cultural trips. It was clearly evident that the reliability and usefulness of the reports depended on the will ingness of the writer to comply with the KGB’s demands. Reports ranged from a two sentence meaningless submis sion to a multi-page analysis of the target. It often currently appears that the cyber environment has become the most important unobtrusive measure in intelli gence gathering. But for many situations, human assets are still indispensible. LAAS LEIVAT
The recent horrific discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves on the sites of former Residential Schools is deeply disturbing. The Estonian Central Council in Canada joins all First Nations Indigenous communities, and all Canadians in to mourn the victims. “The people of Canada must address this terrible historical injustice and the legacy of colonialism in Canada and beyond,” said Estonian Central Council President, Kairi Taul Hemingway. “The unspeakable suffering and pain experienced by Indigenous children and their families, and the discrimination they have faced must never be forgotten,” said ECC President Emeritus, Marcus Kolga.
We’re Listening with EMW: Ansambel Pärlin build upon the harmony of Viljandi Folk Music Festival Vincent Teetsov After the disappointment of the 28th Viljandi Folk Music Festival being postponed from 2020 to 2021, it was a relief for festivalgoers to hear that, as of June 28th, the festival would be going ahead, albeit with some reduction in size. With increased vaccination and the falling of infection rates, it was deemed possible to hold an event where up to 5,000 people could visit each day. From Thursday July 22nd until Sunday July 25th, 41 acts will perform on stages among the town and old castle ruins of Viljandi. Concert access is given through the purchase of four day passes and one day passes. Several names on the roster will be familiar to followers of Estonian Music Week, like Puuluup and Naised Köögis. Duo Ruut, who were spoken about within the pages of Eesti Elu last year, will be making an appearance. NOËP will even be sharing his own take on the songs of Estonian folk artists. Some new faces are appear ing, however, like Ansambel Pärlin. These four musicians come from different regions of Estonia (Tartu County, LääneViru County, and Harju County) but are united wherever shows and recording sessions take them, by an appreciation of folk from all over the world. In the group, Sofia-Liis Kose plays fiddle, Kert Krüsban plays squeezebox and accordion, Alex Verlin plays guitar, and Felix Verlin plays double bass. Plus, they all sing at various points. I believe it when Ansambel Pärlin say they are, most of all, a group of friends. You can see it in the way they gather around, writing and arranging songs together in a cozy living room setting. One can tell very quickly when artists are taking an organic approach to what they do. Information is relayed by mere eye contact. Smiles are genuine. There’s a looseness to their playing, where each musi cian trusts their fellows to catch them and interact in the undu lations of a song. Though Ansambel Pärlin have been together for just two years, they have been perfecting their craft in different configu
rations leading up to now. For instance, Kert Krüsban has been in a duo with violinist Maria Mänd, performing together on ETV. There is a fantastic video online, produced by Backstage Records Estonia, that shows Ansambel Pärlin playing in front of the wooden beams of St. Catherine’s Church in Tallinn. Among the setlist’s pieces is a traditional song from Kuusalu, two Siberian Estonian songs, a traditional Irish piece, and also a tune by Danish folk trio Dreamer’s Circus. They create vigorous bouts of music that will make you want to shimmy and stomp your feet to the bass and accordion rhythms and jubilant melodies bounced between the fiddle and guitar. But then they also bring out soft pieces, like “Tere õhtust, armas tütarlaps,” that you could sway to like a swing on a porch at the end of summer. Something is flowing when this quartet plays, and for that reason, I look forward to hear ing the original songs that will make their way onto Ansambel Pärlin’s debut album. Up until June 2021, the band have been recording the album in Tallinn, and have used crowdfunding so that they can
get physical albums out to listeners. Like Indiegogo or Kickstarter, it’s a system where advanced contributions are rewarded with things like pre mium seats, credit on the record itself, band merch, or even a private concert. On the hooandja.ee page they set up for this crowdfund ing push, they’ve written about their sound very descriptively, as if their approach comes from a cookbook: “1 teaspoon of violin”, “1 tablespoon of guitar”, a “ripe accordion”, and “3/4 double bass.” The last “ingre dient” is as much a measure ment of the tonal balance of their band as it is a little joke about the 3/4 scale of bassist Felix Verlin’s instrument. They’re specialists in their field after all! “Thyme or Scandina vian music” can be sprinkled on top of their songs and “Crispy Irish or Balkan melodies” eaten on the side. Estonia’s folk scene is an ever-growing, interconnected network of artists who are re flecting their ideas around. So it’s appropriate that the theme of Viljandi Folk Music Festival in 2021 is “Kokkumäng” (with an English language version being shared as “In Harmony”). Ansambel Pärlin are in har mony with this network, swept up by an irresistible genre that speaks to the core of our beings.
Photo: Ansambel Pärlin’s Facebook page
