Navy's Diamond Jubilee :

Bigger role for Navy envisaged - Commander

By Ranil WIJAYAPALA

A fleet of small craft were out at sea off the coast Colombo harbour and the sailors and the officers were busy preparing for the Diamond jubilee celebrations of the Sri Lanka Navy.

Navy Commander Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe was observing the proceedings from his office which provides a panoramic view of the harbour and the Light House premises, while making final touches for the arrangements for the celebrations with the participation of six Navy chiefs and representatives from 21 countries.

Navy Commander Samarasinghe was happy that they could celebrate the Diamond Jubilee after the dawn of peace to the country and after the Navy could free the waters around Sri Lanka from maritime terrorism.

Being the first defence line of this island nation the Sri Lanka Navy also has to be prepared for more challenges in its role of protecting the country from the remnants of terrorism existing globally in the post conflict scenario.

Here the Navy Commander Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe speaks of the Navy's role in the post conflict scenario and the future challenges it has to face as it celebrates its Diamond Jubilee.

Q: In the future Sri Lanka is getting a sea area 23 times its territorial size. What will be the challenges the Navy will face in this regard?

A: The additional sea area that we will get under our jurisdiction is limited to the sea bed resources, not the water column. The water column is limited upto Exclusive Economic Zone which is 200 miles from our coast line. Once we get the additional area we will have the opportunity to plan our surveys to explore those resources. Carbon deposits, mineral resources are heavy in this region because over centuries of years rivers flowing into the Indian ocean has stagnated there. Sedimental thicknesses are there which is almost 10 to 20 kilometres. These thick sediments we hope properties that you have this carbon and mineral resources.

I have to be honest that to harness these resources there are very scientific methods and we need lot of resources. In the near future we have to work towards to have capacity to do this or outsource it and harness the resources.

We have other resources to be harnessed in the waters we have already owned. Fisheries resources and the other resources available in the water. Now the Government is on the right direction to seek the petroleum resources in our coast line. Initial scientific exploration and studies are being completed. Now it is the stage of exploring the physical availability of those resources.

A lot of fishermen in our country are now out at sea. Fishing has seen hundred per cent increase which will see that the waters under our country is heavily utilised for fishing. With the establishments of Port in Hambantota, the traffic which is plying just down of Hambantota will definitely increase. With the development progresses positively, access to Sri Lanka by sea will be increased. Potential cargo increase forecast for Sri Lanka is very significant. That is why the President has the foresight to develop the ports with the expansion of Colombo Port, Galle, Hambantota, Oluvil, Trincomalee and Kankesanthurai.

Q: What would be the role of the Navy in this scenario?

A: In those scenarios one who guards the sea has an increasingly important and challenging role to play. Investor confidence is most important. We have to ensure that they will be protected. We have to ensure infrastructure and safety.

If anything happens out at the sea the Navy will be the first to move there whether it is marine pollution, or a disaster. For example the petroleum pumping buoys out at sea have to be protected by us. So that it shows that there are serious implications in the system. In that sense the fisheries protection is critically important.

There is a potential for other undesirable elements to exploit it to do their criminal or illegal acts. like smuggling drugs or any other contraband. That will destabilise the country's peace and law and order. For that you have to secure the coast line.

Physical security of the coast line is critically important. Fisheries harbours which are being heavily utilised have to be monitored. At the same time we should help out the fishermen to see that they are doing the right thing. Navy is around them all the time in the beach and the harbours.

The Navy for the last year has rescued 200 to 300 of our own fishermen and foreign merchant men at long distance. These things cost money due to three reasons. One is long distance cannot be reached by small craft and we need a craft of endurance that can go to heavy seas.

Such a vessel will have so many people on board. So the fuel cost would be high. The other thing is that I will not be able to deploy a vessel at a place strategically required to be rather than divert that to another location vacating the place of deployment.

Q: Very recently the Coast Guard came into operation. Is there is an overlapping of the role of the Navy and the Coast Guard?

A: Coast Guards are available when the Navy is performing their duty far away from their own country. Major countries have fleets which are patrolling the sea far away from their place for maintaining their maritime security.

They place their Navy fleet thousands of thousands miles away mostly on a permanent basis. Such countries have coast guards to do the coastal security. Basically the Sri Lanka Navy has been doing the coast guard duties as well. We have ventured out to 2000 miles and destroyed LTTE ships.

It is not a case of overlapping. It is cooperative operation. The coast guard is very essential. They will be sharing the burden of the Navy. It is burden sharing system where they can be given special fishery protection and what they could handle as per their resources.

At present the Coast Guard is having resources that has been given by the Navy, as the training is also is by the serving and the retired Naval people, so that Coast Guard people will have safety standards at the sea.

It is coordinated with the Navy so that there is a degree of cooperation. We can easily demarcate what we should do and what they should do. We cannot have separate security for the infrastructure.

They will have to use the Navy harbours. In that context it is a good thing so that the Navy can concentrate on what is happening out at the sea.

Q: There is the issue of poaching in our territorial waters by Indian fishermen. What plans do you have to resolve this situation?

A: The problem has been there for a long time. India has a problem of fishermen coming with large numbers to Sri Lankan territorial waters. Before the dawn of peace it was only Indian fishermen were coming and fishing and now our fishermen are also going.

Secretary of Defence and the Ministry of Fisheries, both Ministries have got together and identified the fishermen who needs assistance so that our fishermen can go into the sea before the Indian fishermen come. We need to harvest our fishing resources. But Indian trawlers come and take away the fish. We have to realise that since we are so close it happens and venturing into each other waters is normal. Of course Indian trawlers' poaching has to be managed.

India is taking lot of precautions to stop that by arresting of people cutting of fuel allowances and putting them on various legal procedures. They are also doing what they could do and they can do little more to stop them coming to our waters. We are trying to stop them physically by being present in the seas. But they are doing it in our presence and we cannot be aggressive to them. This is a sensitive situation and we need to manage that because of the very good relations between the two Navies and the Indian Coast Guard. All these problems are amicably settled most of the time.

But there are allegations against our fishermen and our Navy. We have investigated all that and if somebody is found guilty we will be taking appropriate action. But we have to understand when such a large number of vessels come and when there is single boat there is a serious threat we have to face. We were very concerned about it. We need to be mindful about that, because that directly affects our national security. So that angle we have looked into. We have placed our own systems in place around the coast and the off shore deployment to arrest smuggling of drugs and attractive items smuggled across the sea.

This is a problem we have very seriously handled at the highest levels of government. And also at the Navy to Navy level and Foreign Ministries level. As a result in Sri Lanka there is a new concept forwarded by Secretary Defence to the Fisheries Ministry. A High level task force is established including the Foreign Ministry, Defence Ministry, the Navy, Coast Guard and the line agencies to handle this situation empowering our fishermen and talking to Indian in settling these matters.

Q: What is the major role of the Sri Lanka Navy in the post conflict scenario on the context of global terrorism and what was our experience?

A: Global terrorism has two dimensions. They use the sea routes for supplies. You see in the mediterranean Israel uses Arabian sea, Gulf of Bay of Bengal Malakka Strait to smuggle illegal arms.

In Sri Lanka's post conflict scenario we have cleared waters around us from maritime terrorism. Maritime terrorism was rampant in this region.

The number of ships that we destroyed during the past was enormous. One of the reasons that we have to go through a war about 27 years fighting terrorism without reaching the end goal. But fortunately the President and Secretary Defence strategy to look at the end goal showed us how to achieve the goal.

Our strategy was to militarily destroy the terrorists. The policy was humanitarian. The President wanted to humanely free the population. So we have constraints from global end coming from the Diaspora.

We tackled that. The Secretary Defence spoke to the support groups. But we didn't put blockade to our people, we put a offensive blockade to stop the terrorists getting the supplies. We were the only country which fed the population among the terrorists. Until the 29th of January 2009, we kept on sending food by road.

It is only then we stopped sending food by road and again under heaviest fighting through the ICRC we sent food to the people in Puthumattalan. 'Api Venuwen Api' brought the nation together. That is the difference of the other fights against global terrorism. We have our Sri Lankan model. This worked for us well.

Q: In which way are you are going to control terrorism reaching our soil?

A: In the post conflict scenario we need to see that it doesn't happen again. Foreign countries have to realise that their shores cannot be used for this types of things. You see all these stuff which came to Sri Lanka were not made here.

They were made somewhere, somebody paid for it and somebody brought them here. So that support block has to be blocked, whether it is material, financial, organisational. Unfortunately these platforms have been propagated beyond our control. Now not in our shores. I would say that is global terrorism. Globally they are doing it.

As a result the Navy has to ensure that our coast line is sealed to ensure such support will never reach our shores. Even if it unfortunately reach our shores we should know from where it had come.

We a revamped local and international intelligence system. Now we don't look for the enemy to fight with us but will be doing something else.

We have got a clean slate now. So that has to be protected. Thanks to those who sacrificed their lives and the leadership of the President and the Secretary Defence.

In the post conflict context the foundation for the future has to be solid.

Q: Sea piracy has become another challenge for maritime security. How is the Navy proposing to tackle that issue?

A: Under the guidance of Secretary Defence we have proposed an on board security unit. At the Galle Dialogue Forum we proposed it and Secretary Defence emphasised it. He has sent the proposals to relevant authorities so that they can designated on board security teams on merchant vessels.

The conditions in Somalia have to be improved.

Q: What is your assessment on the remnants of the LTTE existing abroad. Is there any possibility for them to reorganise and reactivate their arms smuggling operations?

A: Actually they can't. Of course they have the support of the Diaspora and the mentality of a separate state. All that is there but it should be foolish to think that they can do that. But we can do nothing and wait. They have money. That potential has to be understood and that potential must be nullified before we have to tactically involve in with the Armed Forces. But we are prepared for it.

That is why I said we should stop their landing plans. We must make the beaches inaccessible for them. Our systems of port security has to be increased to ensure with the guise of legitimacy they don't get stuff into this. So that we should not complacent with harbour checks, customs checks and document checks. Because this has happened in the past. We must have a strategy to nullify this potential.

Q: What is the role of the Navy in intelligence gathering on arms smuggling, drug trafficking and human smuggling.

A: The national Intelligence headed by Secretary Defence and the other national intelligence agencies and other tri-service and the Police is being coordinated by the Ministry of Defence to handle this subject.

All arrests made at this stage must be traced back to the origin and followed up. That should be traced back to the grass roots level for which we should have very good rapport and relationship with foreign intelligence.

So we have to nip it in the bud. We also must ensure when we arrest a person punishments must be serious and should have a very effective deterrence so that he will not do that again. That is very critical.

That can be achieved only through such process. Otherwise we all are deploying and deploying all over and we get something we should not be happy about catching it. That is what the humanitarian operation did. That is what we did by capturing each and every inch under the LTTE.

We have an equally a tougher role to play now. At least that time we knew the enemy. Intelligence is important to follow up and implement the measure as per those intelligence. Even Naval deployment should be made as per the intelligence.

What is your assessment of post conflict challenges?

A: At the moment we have acquired adequate vessels also. The Secretary Defence and the President always mention in their policy statements that the Navy has to be improved. Things have to be done gradually. You cannot improve a Navy overnight.

Navy cannot improve with only manpower. You need ships, infrastructure repair facilities, technical advancement. We have gone in for lot of technical advancement and surveillance. As a result we need to spend money. Already a lot of measures are under way thinking 50 years ahead. Because ships age is 20 to 30. Keeping that in mind lot of measure are under way thinking for 50 years and future.

If a ship is 20 we can do a major refit and go for another ten years. Keeping it in our mind we are doing many things to improve the Navy infrastructure harbour, research and development. We might not have to go for foreign countries for radar controlled weapon systems. We have almost indigenously with the assistance of a specialist developed certain thing. Those things will come into place. This finders at this stage is critically important us to sustain critically in the future. We need to keep the Indian ocean free of maritime terrorism so that we wont get affected.

Q: There are some groups who say that investing funds for boats and ships is a waste of money as we have already won the war. What is your comment on these criticism?

A: I don't think that is a very sensible statement. This may have been said in the early 70's and we pay the penalty.

We might be there in the sea 20 days or one year one detection is to be good enough. That is the deterrence. We had a very bad experience. We achieved this success at an enormous cost of lives material and resources.

If somebody says that everything is over now and you put your feet up and wait then you are not sensible in what you say.

You should not be over-reacting also. We are not going to purchase vessels which are not suited to our economy. We are out at sea for surveillance patrolling to protect our shores.