Defence Secretary says:
Greater int’l cooperation needed to end threats to Indian Ocean
region security
The lasting solution to threats of piracy cannot be undertaken by
individual nations in isolation, but only through greater international
cooperation, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said.
The Defence Secretary was addressing the International Maritime
Security Conference, Galle Dialogue 2011, at Light House Hotel, Galle
yesterday. It was organised by the Sri Lanka Navy under the aegis of the
Defence Ministry.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. Picture by Wasith
Patabendige |
The full text of the Defence Secretary’s speech:
“I consider it a pleasure and privilege to address you at the opening
session of the “Galle Dialogue” Maritime Conference organised by the
Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka. The Galle Dialogue was initiated in
2010 to facilitate increased cooperation between the nations interested
in the security of the Indian Ocean region. During the first Galle
Dialogue, the participants held fruitful discussions on the topic
“Charting the Course for Sustainable Maritime Cooperation”. Building on
that theme, this year’s Conference deliberates on “Challenges and
Strategic Cooperation for Indian Ocean Maritime Concerns”.
Enormous reserves
The Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean in the world, and borders
over thirty nations. It is a resource rich ocean, with enormous reserves
of oil, natural gas, minerals and a wealth of biological resources. It
is estimated that approximately 60,000 ships cross the Indian Ocean each
year, including nearly half of the world’s containerised cargo. Only
twenty per cent of the cargo transported through the Indian Ocean is
traded within the region; the remaining eighty per cent is extra
regional.
The energy security of many nations also depends on the Indian Ocean,
as the fuel requirements of many industrialising nations is met through
the energy resources transported through it. For all these reasons and
more, the Indian Ocean’s importance in the global context is very great.
At the same time, it must be noted that the stability and maritime
security of Indian Ocean is vulnerable to external threat.
Perhaps the most eye-catching of these threats is the piracy
originating from Somalia, which has steadily become more dangerous
during the last decade. Starting as a fairly localised activity in the
Gulf of Aden, this piracy has grown to become a threat to ships plying
routes far beyond the Somali coast. This is amply illustrated in the
fact that more than thirty[?] Somali pirates were apprehended in
Maldivian waters not long ago.
Somali pirates
The Sri Lanka Navy too arrested some Somalis who were suspected of
looking to engage in piracy and had drifted towards Sri Lanka. It is
clear that the activities of the pirates are spreading at a rapid pace.
Thousands of people have been affected by their attacks over the last
several years. The total economic cost of piracy, when considering the
costs of insurance, naval support, re-routing of ocean traffic and all
other steps taken to protect vessels from this threat, has been
estimated at close to 10 billion US Dollars per annum.
Existing international maritime laws and practices have proven
ineffective in combatting the activities of the Somali pirates. Because
merchant vessels were traditionally forbidden to carry weapons, the
protective measures adopted by them were often too weak to withstand the
escalating sophistication of the pirates. In response to this situation,
some countries such as the United States have adjusted their maritime
laws to enable private security personnel to travel on board merchant
vessels. Sri Lanka, too, provides such security services. A few
countries have even expressed an interest in sending personnel from
their national militaries on board merchant vessels to provide
protection for those ships, and have requested Sri Lanka’s assistance
during transit.
Ineffective
While the steps taken by ship owners have been seen to be largely
ineffective, interventions made by individual nations in providing
greater protection for merchant vessels have not been uniform. It is our
belief that the lasting solution to threats of this nature cannot be
undertaken by individual nations in isolation, but only through greater
international cooperation. The multilateral efforts undertaken through
International Task Forces to contain Somali piracy are laudable in this
context. However, it is not enough. The risk posed by the Somali pirates
is only one example of the threats facing maritime security. There are
others. The best solution to all of them is greater cooperation between
the maritime powers.
The lack of a coordinated international effort to uphold maritime
security not only affects oceangoing vessels, but also the national
security of coastal nations. The Sri Lankan experience in combatting the
terrorist organisation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, better
known as the LTTE, is instructive in this regard. During the period of
the conflict in Sri Lanka, the LTTE smuggled in a formidable arsenal of
weapons through its procurement and delivery network.
At its peak, the LTTE had an arsenal that included mortar, artillery,
anti-aircraft guns, surface to air missiles, armoured vehicles and even
light aircraft.
LTTE fronts
None of these items were made in Sri Lanka. They were manufactured in
various parts of the world, illegally procured through the LTTE’s many
front organisations and operatives, and smuggled to Sri Lanka through
the sea. Using over twenty large vessels and a considerable number of
trawlers registered under different flags, the LTTE shipped this
equipment to Sri Lanka through international waters. Its large vessels
lay anchored in international waters more than a thousand nautical miles
away from Sri Lanka. Smaller vessels were dispatched to smuggle the
items they carried to the coast. During the Humanitarian Operation to
defeat LTTE terrorism, which took place between 2006 and 2009, the Sri
Lanka Navy went into deep[/blue?] seas on five occasions to destroy
eight of these floating warehouses.
The most disturbing implication of the Sri Lankan experience is that
the brand of arms smuggling undertaken by the LTTE can be replicated by
any terrorist organisation anywhere in the world. Far-reaching measures
are needed at the highest level to address this threat in a coordinated
fashion. All coastal nations are vulnerable to threats from the sea, and
terrorists will exploit the weak points in our defences to their
advantage.
Intelligence
To combat this threat, it is vital that the maritime powers cooperate
by sharing intelligence, and enhance maritime domain awareness through
joint and coordinated patrols as well as exercises to enhance
interoperability. Providing assistance to improve the resources and
capabilities of less advanced naval powers will also enhance overall
maritime security.
Another threat facing nations through the sea is the trafficking of
persons. After the military defeat of the LTTE in Sri Lanka, the
remaining vessels that operated in that group’s international supply
network began engaging in this illegal enterprise.
Charging many thousands of dollars per illegal immigrant, these
vessels transported hundreds of people through international waters to
western countries such as Canada and Australia. This human trafficking
operation carried out by the rump of the LTTE is especially dangerous as
it allows trained terrorists to enter other nations in the guise of
refugees. Seeking asylum under false pretences, these terrorists not
only intermingle with economic migrants and try to escape justice, but
they often involve themselves in criminal activities in the countries
that accept them and pose a threat to domestic security.
Human trafficking
Human trafficking benefits from a legal framework that does not have
proper mechanisms to deal with such vessels in international waters.
However, nations can work together to minimise this threat effectively.
In this regard, I am pleased to note that Sri Lanka has worked closely
with the Australian government in the recent past to minimise the
incidents of human trafficking originating from Sri Lanka.
Through enhancing coastal surveillance, augmenting patrols and
putting in place an effective intelligence network between the two
countries, this problem has been curtailed to a satisfactory level.
However, we know that there are still Sri Lankans, joining together with
other nationals, who travel illegally to Australia through third
countries particularly in the South East Asian region. More needs to be
done regarding this problem, especially through better coordination
among the relevant countries.
Drug smuggling
Drug trafficking is another issue that can affect any nation. Apart
from the immediate harms caused through drug smuggling, this racket
provides a lucrative source of income for terrorists, insurgents and
large criminal networks. Drug cartels maintain a symbiotic relationship
with such groups. The LTTE, for example, generated enormous sums of
money through their illegal drugs network that operated in Europe, South
Asia and South East Asia. The drug infested Golden Crescent was a
lucrative source for the LTTE, just as it is for other criminal
networks. These networks smuggle drugs using the same modus operandi
used by arms smugglers, using fishing boats and specially modified craft
to conceal the cargo. The Sri Lanka Navy has come across many fishing
boats transporting drugs across borders. Drugs are also sometimes
smuggled in the midst of legal containerised cargo that is processed
through the ports. Combating this problem requires greater information
sharing, better screening practices and better coordination among
nations.
Apart from these threats to nations, Illegal, Unreported and
Unregulated fishing poses a risk to oceanic resources. Fishing is an
important livelihood to many who live in coastal regions. Illegal,
unreported and unregulated fishing threatens this livelihood. It is
estimated that the total economic cost of pirate fishing runs into
billions of dollars per annum. The environmental impact of such
practices is also devastating. Many species of fish have already been
over exploited, and the sustainability of fish stocks is increasingly at
risk through overfishing. Use of destructive fishing gear and methods
also has severe consequences.
Concerted effort
Monitoring the problem of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated
fishing, is difficult. Acting against it is even more so. This is yet
another area in which a concerted regional effort is necessary to
mitigate the problem.
Another area of great concern is the marine pollution caused by
various methods, including the dumping of industrial and other waste
into the sea from shore. The discharge of waste from oceangoing vessels
is also a serious problem.
Monitoring marine pollution is a difficult undertaking, but even more
disturbingly, it is an issue that is not often even addressed by coastal
nations. More attention needs to be paid to tackling these common
issues, which have a harmful long-term impact on the marine environment.
Given the nature of the common security and environmental threats
facing the oceans, it is clear that individual nations acting in
isolation will not be able to effect comprehensive or long lasting
solutions.
In the present era, the increasing sophistication of criminal
networks and non-state actors makes it difficult for individual nations
to withstand the threats posed by them if they stand alone.
Naval powers
That is why Sri Lanka, as one of the smaller naval powers in the
Indian Ocean, hopes to see greater cooperation within the region. In
particular, the major powers in the region should work together with all
affected nations to ensure that the seas are free of hindrance. At the
start of this address, I elaborated on the vast importance of the Indian
Ocean not only for the regional nations, but also for the world economy.
It is in everybody’s interest to work together to ensure its safety and
stability.
In this context, it is also important to realise that most of the
maritime security problems we presently face could have been mitigated
at an earlier stage if sufficient cooperation had existed between the
naval powers.
Maritime threat
The piracy originating from Somalia had the space to grow from a
small, localised problem into a major maritime threat largely as a
result of international inaction. Much the same can be said about the
sophisticated criminal networks that engage in drug trafficking. It is
imperative that the international community acts with sufficient speed
to address future threats before they develop into severe problems. In
particular, coastal nations have an important responsibility in ensuring
maritime security, and we must not shirk our duty.
As the largest naval power in South Asia, India plays a major role in
upholding the maritime security of this region. Sri Lanka too has a part
to play, as it enjoys a very strategically significant geographic
position in the Indian Ocean.
Many major international shipping lanes pass the south of Sri Lanka,
only a few nautical miles away from the newly developed Hambantota Port.
With sufficient cooperation from the major naval powers in the region,
Sri Lanka can play an active and significant role in upholding the
safety of these critical sea lines of communication.
Vast experience
Towards this end, Sri Lanka has recently revamped and expanded its
Coast Guard Department whilst further strengthening its vastly
experienced Navy. If, with the assistance of friendly nations, Sri Lanka
can obtain naval assets capable of operating in deep seas, our overall
capabilities will be greatly increased. Considering also the warm
relationships this country enjoys with the major naval powers in the
region, I am certain that Sri Lanka will be able to play a greater role
in upholding the maritime safety of the entire Indian Ocean region. This
will be to the benefit not only of the regional nations, but to the
world.
In concluding, I would like to thank all the delegates for their
invaluable presence at this Conference, and express my utmost confidence
that the Galle Dialogue will serve its purpose in facilitating and
enhancing Strategic Cooperation in the Indian Ocean region.” |