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Philippines to provide expertise in establishing coast guard service to quell terrorism

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."

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