Philippines to provide expertise in establishing coast guard service
to quell terrorism
Walter Jayawardhana
COLOMBO: Manila Times, the Philippine national daily in an
op-ed piece said Manila and Colombo are in exploratory talks for the
Philippines to provide the latter's expertise regarding establishing a
Coast Guard service.
"So in this new era of cooperation between nations in a world where
terrorism has no international borders, Manila and Colombo are in
exploratory talks for the Philippines to provide its expertise to help
Sri Lanka create its own Coast Guard operation," the newspaper said in
an op-ed article by Random Jottings in the newspaper of September 10.
This was initially addressed by Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama
during the bilateral talks with the Philippines authorities during the
ASEAN summit, the newspaper said.
Sri Lanka, with a porous coastline is constantly hurt by arms
smuggling by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) does not have a
Coast Guard Service and all such activities are managed by the Navy.
The editorial: "The Philippines and Sri Lanka are both island nations
embroiled in niggling secessionist conflicts-the former with the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front and the latter with the Tigers-which have taken
a cruel toll in innocent lives, and dented national and economic
progress. Most dismally, it has resulted in terrorism raising its ugly
head internally.
But while the Philippines has a well-mobilised Coast Guard (an
essential requisite for any island nation in this day and age to
counter, among other things, the smuggling of weapons and humans) to
help in its anti-terrorism efforts, Sri Lanka has no such tailor-made
outfit in place to patrol its territorial waters.
So in this new era of cooperation between nations in a world where
terrorism has no international borders, Manila and Colombo are in
exploratory talks for the Philippines to provide its expertise to help
Sri Lanka create its own Coast Guard operation.
This was one of many security initiatives of mutual interest
addressed between the Governments of the Philippines and Sri Lanka at
bilateral talks held during the recent Manila visit by Sri Lanka's
dynamic Foreign Minister.
Rohitha Bogollagama for the 14th ASEAN Regional Forum when his
country was admitted to the foremost political and security forum in
Asia as its 27th member - a clear reflection of Sri Lanka's proactive
role in the regional and multilateral arena for the promotion of peace,
dialogue and cooperation for the greater benefit of the Asia-Pacific
region in particular and the world at large.
In this context Foreign Minister Bogollagama will be hosting the
International Conference on Countering Terrorism (ICCT) in Colombo from
October 18 to 20, with official delegations from around the
world-including the Philippines - expected to attend.
Keynote speakers will include Judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere, chairman of
the French Anti-terrorist Court; Dr. Gerard Chiliand, former director of
the European Center for the Study of Conflicts; Dr. Rohan Gunaratne who
heads the Singapore-based International Center for Political Violence
and Terrorism Research; political scientist Dr. Peter Chalk of the Rand
Corp., USA; and General V. P. Malik, former Commander of the Indian
Army. Explains Foreign Minister Bogollagama: "We see the ICCT as the
start of a process devoted towards bringing the world to further
understand the effects of terrorism and the need to encounter the same.
Sri Lanka's 30 years of experience and sacrifices made on account of
terrorism and the manner in which it is finding its way out of terrorism
has broader relevance, particularly to emerging democracies."
Ironically, the venue of the conference is the newly established
Lakshman Kadrigamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic
Studies-dedicated to the memory of the former Sri Lankan Foreign
Minister who was senselessly assassinated by the Tigers.
The institute is affiliated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is
geared to be a multi disciplinary research forum devoted to the study of
Sri Lanka's strategic interests, and mandated to develop a national
perspective on issues pertaining to international relations within
domestic and international contexts.
As the country's pitch man on the international circuit, Foreign
Minister Bogollagama relentlessly, and with utmost credibility,
countermands the volumes of unsubstantiated propaganda dissipated by the
Tigers.
His unyielding mission is peace which is embroidered in the fabric of
a nation that is a key custodian of Buddhism which preaches a philosophy
of harmony and tranquillity.
He explains: "We have a commitment to what is right spanning
thousands of years. We do not shirk from engaging with the international
community. Our effort is to shine among the best and we will get there.
"Sri Lanka's diplomatic campaign is concentrated in countries where
the LTTE (the dubious political arm of the terrorist outfit) has
traditionally raised funds through intimidation, extortion, human
trafficking, narcotics trade and arms smuggling. The international
community is itself alarmed by these activities and is cracking down on
the LTTE."
He adds: "The efforts by the supporters of the LTTE to raise the
issue of human rights before the European Parliament turned out to be a
damp squib.
In fact, Sri Lanka was elected as the vice-chairman of the Human
Rights Council." |