In the true spirit of SAARC...

Prasad Gunewardene

Indian Premier Dr. Manmohan Singh

Maldivian President Abdul Maumoon Gayoom

The Indian Police in Tamil Nadu is now on alert to curb LTTE terrorist activity. During the past fortnight, the Police in Tamil Nadu foiled an attempt by the LTTE cadres to abduct former North East Chief Minister, Varatharajah Perumal.

Three more suspected LTTE cadres were apprehended attempting to smuggle ballbearings meant for explosives. These are welcome measures taken by our immediate neighbour India in the true spirit of SAARC.

Let us also not forget our smallest neighbour Maldives. Though small, the Maldivian National Coast Guard overpowered an LTTE boat in May last year and apprehended five LTTE suspects transporting arms to Northern Sri Lanka.

Maldivian President Abdul Maumoon Gayoom immediately informed Colombo of the detection and the subsequent arrest of the suspects. India too pledged to rush to the aid of Maldives if the situation got out of control.

Sri Lankan leaders have been repeatedly calling for, and seeking co-operation from SAARC nations to combat terrorism in the region in a long walk of two decades from the first summit in Dhaka to the last summit in New Delhi held last May.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa drew the attention of all leaders at the Summit in May last year to the serious incident where the LTTE used light aircraft to attack the Colombo International Airport, Katunayake just 10 days before the Summit. The attack caused heavy damage to State owned aircraft and several others were wounded.

Former Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, the late A.C.S.Hameed was a signatory to the SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism done in Kathmandu, Nepal on November 4, 1987.

This Convention was drafted, after SAARC leaders, on one platform realised the danger posed by the spread of terrorism, and its harmful effect on peace, co-operation, friendship and good neighbourly relations.

The SAARC leaders were also of the view that, if the menace was allowed to spread, it would jeopardise the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all SAARC Nations.

On realisation of such important facts, the Foreign Ministers in the region placed their signatures to that important document. At all successive summits, priority was focused on terrorism in the region but, nothing practical happened on ground.

And terrorism spread like wild fire within SAARC nations affecting the region badly. Even in the once peaceful Kingdom of Bhutan, several bomb explosions ripped the country’s capital last Monday. As at now no SAARC nation has been spared of terrorism.

The Convention signed and adopted in 1987 included the following: (A) The scope of Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure of Aircraft signed in Hague, December 16, 1970. (B) The scope of the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Civil Aviation signed at Montreal, September 23, 1971.

These were the salient features envisaged in that important document as the SAARC leaders of that time warned all members of a possibility of terrorists gaining access to unlawful aircraft.

Within two decades it was proved right as the LTTE is now in possession of a few light aircraft posing a grave danger to the SAARC region.

All Foreign Ministers’ pledged to uphold those provisions in the Convention to combat terrorism in its all forms, be it on ground or air. We have witnessed at successive SAARC summits, leaders stressing the need to implement the Convention to the letter expressing serious concern over the expansion of acts of terrorism within member states and the region.

But, as these concerns were confined to mere words over the years, terrorism expanded from the bullet to the claymore mine and landmine to the suicide mission. And now, the ruthless terror group in the region, the LTTE is in possession of light aircraft.

However, the action against terrorism launched by our neighbour India and the small neighbour Maldives needs commendation. Such action seems to have given life to the dormant looking Convention signed in 1987.

The SAARC leaders in this region ought to be more vigilant than before. Why? Because the most dreaded terror group in the region, the LTTE, is in possession of light aircraft. For them to fly across to the closest neighbour is not an impossible task. Such a mission takes less than an hour.

The Convention to Suppress Terrorism in the region provides adequate power for any Member State to deal with unlawful acts against the safety of civil aviation.

The Hague Agreement signed in Montreal was incorporated in the document to give all member states to individually or jointly to combat terrorism in the region.

The SAARC nations must now act in a united manner towards eliminating terrorism as it has now become a threat to almost every Member State.

It must be done as a single unit in keeping with the true spirit of SAARC. Foreign Ministers of SAARC Member States should regularly meet and discuss ways and means to generate resources to meet the threat of terrorism. If necessary, SAARC nations could establish a Defence Secretariat to Suppress Terrorism in the Region for monitoring security in the region.

The terrorist threat to the region should to be eliminated at the earliest. All democracies are now open to danger.

The pending summit of the leaders of SAARC nations should focus on the need to establish such a Secretariat to safeguard the region from the menace of terrorism.

A Defence Secretariat will also strengthen the Convention adopted in 1987 to combat terrorism within SAARC nations and the region at large.

The SAARC region needs to be transformed into a Zone of Peace. Combating terrorist activity on a piece meal basis would not arrest the menace. It could only be done if all SAARC leaders clear the menace of illegal weaponry and smuggling of equipment from various parts in the world to this region by terror groups.

SAARC leaders should also explore practical means to deal with this menace that destroys life and property in the region.

Only practical methods to counter terrorism could strengthen peace, stability and good neighbourly relations in the SAARC region. It is the only practical exercise that makes this region a complete democracy with real respect to all SAARC nations and humanity.