Peace and stability key for continued economic development: Gotabaya

Saturday, 29 November 2014 00:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

“One of the primary aspirations of all countries in the South Asian and South East Asian region is to maintain peace and stability for their continued economic development. Activities of non-state actors and incidence of transnational crime in particular need to be closely monitored and guarded against. Hence, improvement in the cooperation and collaboration between nations is vital,” said Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development Gotabaya Rajapaksa on 27 November. Rajapaksa expressed these sentiments while delivering the Keynote Address at the South and South East Asian Nations (SA-SEAN) Defence Chiefs Dialogue 2014 at The Kingsbury Hotel, Colombo. The welcome address of the conclave was delivered by the Chief of Defence Staff General Jagath Jayasuriya at the outset of the inaugural session. Following is the full text of the speech delivered by the Defence Secretary at South and South East Asian Nations (SA-SEAN) Dialogue of Chiefs of Defence Staff:

It gives me great pleasure to speak to you this morning at the Inaugural Dialogue of the Chiefs of Defence Staff of the South Asian and South East Asian regions. On behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka, I welcome all the distinguished delegates for this Dialogue. At the outset, let me also congratulate our Chief of Defence Staff and his office for taking the initiative on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development to organise this event. This Dialogue brings to a common forum the Chiefs of the Armed Forces in the South Asian and South East Asian regions. It is our belief that the creation of a platform of this nature will enable a free and frank exchange of views and discussion on issues of mutual interest. This will help improve inter-military understanding and cooperation within the region. It is therefore also our hope that this Dialogue will become an annual fixture that will benefit all participating nations in the long term. One of the primary aspirations of all countries in the South Asian and South East Asian region is to maintain peace and stability for their continued economic development. Maintaining regional stability as well as upholding national security is key to achieving this aspiration. Reducing tensions and overcoming misunderstandings between countries in the region is very important. At the same time, it has to be borne in mind that the threats and issues faced by nations today can have regional and even global linkages as well as ramifications. Activities of non-state actors and incidence of transnational crime in particular need to be closely monitored and guarded against. As such, improving the cooperation and collaboration between nations is essential.

Sri Lankan experience

If we consider the Sri Lankan experience over the last 30 years, we will see the transnational nature of the threats that we face. The LTTE was a sophisticated terrorist organisation with a large international network. Its operatives were based in a large number of countries in Asia, Western Europe, North America and Australasia. While the LTTE was militarily active in Sri Lanka, this network used illegal means such as extortion, sale of narcotics, credit card fraud, as well as voluntary contributions from elements in the Tamil population overseas, to amass vast sums of money. This money was used to finance terrorist activities in Sri Lanka. Money was sent through the banking system to LTTE front organisations, as well as more directly through the Hawala system. The funds were also used to procure a remarkable arsenal of weapons that was shipped to Sri Lanka through international waters on board vessels sailing under various flags. Once these vessels were in proximity to Sri Lanka, the LTTE used smaller craft to transport the weapons to land. The LTTE used these weapons to wage a war of great ferocity against the State until it was defeated in May 2009. The methods the LTTE used clearly illustrates the ways in which terrorism and other threats to our peace and security have links abroad.

Drug trafficking and human trafficking

It is also important to bear in mind that some of the policies that we have, which are intended to improve the quality of life of our citizens and encourage economic development through tourism and trade, can also be used by terrorists and criminals for their activities. Countries within the South and South East Asia have been used by such non-state actors as meeting places, transit points or even temporary bases from which to initiate their activities. Take for example drug trafficking, which is increasingly becoming a serious issue for many of the countries in our region. On occasion, we have seen instances where drug dealers have escaped law enforcement agencies by moving into other countries and staying in these countries illegally, using them as safe havens. This impedes law enforcement efforts in their country of origin. Further, allowing such offenders to remain at large can also cause social and criminal problems within the countries they escape to. Human trafficking is another problem that is becoming increasingly significant in today’s context. Primarily due to economic reasons, large numbers of people seek to flee their nations of residence and migrate illegally to developed countries such as Australia, Canada and regions such as Europe. This has become a lucrative business for people smugglers, some of whom also have links to international terrorism as well as drug trafficking. Most of the time, the victims of these human traffickers find themselves in very serious trouble. Having sold or mortgaged their properties and given over their complete wealth to the smugglers, they find themselves in terrible conditions, trapped on board unsafe vessels along with hundreds of illegal migrants. Sometimes these boats get into serious difficulties, threatening the lives of all on board. Occasionally, such illegal immigrants are rescued or intercepted by the Navies or Coast Guards of other nations. These target nations face the problem of accommodating the illegal immigrants, sometimes without proper mechanisms to repatriate them. Even on occasions when the illegal migrants arrive at their destination without mishap, they are not assured of being granted refugee status. Ultimately, they may end up staying in difficult conditions within temporary camps for a very long time, until they are finally deported to their countries of origin.

Sharing intelligence is vital

Most of the countries in the South Asian and South East Asian regions have experienced issues such as human trafficking, narcotics smuggling and terrorism in varying degrees over the last few decades. Combating these issues is critical to our nations’ economic development and future prosperity. The most important tool that countries have at their disposal in this regard is intelligence. For intelligence to be optimally effective, however, it needs to be shared amongst nations. Sharing of intelligence enables militaries, law enforcement agencies and other key actors in upholding national security to improve their preparedness to combat such threats. Improving inter military cooperation in terms of increased training, joint exercises, exchanges and assisting in capacity building are some other means through which regional security as a whole can be improved. I trust that during the course of this Dialogue, you will have a free and frank exchange of ideas on the key security issues that affect nations in the region. Through the strengthening of mutual cooperation, I am very confident that this dialogue will help enhance not only the national security of participating nations, but also the region as a whole. I also take this opportunity to encourage you to sample at least some of the many and varied attractions that Sri Lanka has to offer during this Conference. In closing, I wish you all the best for a productive Dialogue, and hope that you will have a wonderful time during your stay here. Thank you.