The Hindu : `Maritime environment in South Asia vulnerable to terrorism'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 22, 2004

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National

`Maritime environment in South Asia vulnerable to terrorism'

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, FEB. 21. The vulnerabilities of the maritime environment in South Asia for terrorism to flourish should be taken care of, the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff, S.V. Gopalachari, said here on Thursday.

The region was passing through a "turbulent phase" due to cross-border terrorism, internal dissensions, changing societies with their inherent difficulties and the challenges of intolerance in modern society, he said.

Terrorism seemed to have found a perfect haven in the maritime environment, he said. Sea containers provided the best method of illegally transporting arms.

As the maritime dimension had great potential for India's development and the region's economy, India had taken several initiatives for constructive, collaborative and coordinated engagement to provide stability and security on the high seas. He was delivering the keynote address at a seminar on "Challenges to South Asian Peace and Security: Emerging trends," organised by the Madras University Department of Defence and Strategic Studies and the National Defence College Alumni Association, Chennai Chapter.

Dealing with the various security issues in South Asia, Vice-Admiral Gopalachari said that as regards India, besides the cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir, the naxalite movement, and insurgency in the north-east, there was also a resurgence of religious fundamentalism.

The issues that affected security in South Asia included growing intolerance in society and a tendency for extra-regional intervention in a growing, untapped market, he said.

Inaugurating the seminar, Satish Jain, Senior Air Staff Officer, Headquarters Training Command, Indian Air Force, Bangalore, said non-state actors, who were difficult to tackle, were the new dimension of security in the region. A country may appear to be very peaceful, but may have serious problems within, he said. The political system each country adopted, which was diverse, and political also had an impact on peace and security.

In his presidential remarks, Commodore (retired) S. Shekhar, explained the programme's significance.

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