SL Navy Diamond Jubilee celebrations:

Platform for many navies to interact with each other

By Ranil WIJAYAPALA
 

When countries are divided over their boundaries, the ocean is there to unite them in one platform as it bears no boundaries to separate countries from each other.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa putting on the SLN Diamond Jubilee souvenir cap during the Presidential Fleet Review.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Indian Navy Commander Admiral Nirmal Verma, Pakistan Navy Commander Admiral Noman Bashir and Sri Lanka Navy Commander Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe in conversation at the SLN Diamond Jubilee Banquet.

Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe in discussion with Pakistani Navy Commander Admiral Noman Bashir, Australian Navy Commander Vice Admiral Russell Harry Crane, Bangladesh Navy Commander Vice Admiral Zahir Uddin Ahmed and other Naval delegates at the Chiefs of Navies’ Conclave at the Trincomalee Naval Base.

Sri Lanka, as an island nation, could achieve what other nations could not, as the deep seas surrounding the island created links with other nations in Sri Lanka’s efforts to defeat terrorism. The Sri Lanka Navy carried out a diplomatic role on behalf of the country, creating links with other nations, when other diplomatic channels failed in their missions.

The very same concept which helped unite nations across the globe, across the seas, was explicitly displayed in Sri Lanka when the island nation celebrated the 60th anniversary of its Navy from December 9 with the participation of the Navies of 19 countries, providing them a common platform to discuss maritime security.

Seven warships with sailors talking six different languages on board were anchored in one port is a rare appearance, giving the world a message that the Colombo Port, to which ships feared to arrive a few years back, is now safe for any ship.

When the Western world harboured misconceptions about the great victory Sri Lanka achieved against ruthless LTTE terrorism, their representatives flocked here to observe, with no misconceptions in their mind, the Sri Lanka Navy celebrating its Diamond Jubilee.

However, it was not an easy task to organise such a celebration, with foreign ships lining up in the seas off Colombo for more than one and a half miles and Sri Lankan ships lined up for more than five miles in the sea.

The concept was conceived in the mind of none other than Navy Commander, Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe and was approved by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

“It took a lot of effort to meticulously plan the event. The other most important and tough job was the coordination of seven war-ships from countries such as Iran, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Thailand, Russia and China”, Navy Commander Samarasinghe said after the conclusion of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Message to the World

“We kept them all inside the Port without placing any of them outside. Through this we gave a big message to the world that our Port is safe for any ship. What better certificate can we give the entire world about how safe our waters are”, he said.

“It was a security nightmare. Nobody would have accepted such a task. Every inch was covered, underwater divers were always there and each ship was protected”, he said while explaining the seriousness behind providing security for the ships.

The foreign participants with ships from 19 countries, the distance they had travelled across the seas and the tonnage they had brought shows how significant this event was to them too.

True, they were invited for the event by Navy Commander, Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe along with a covering letter from Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. However, there should be a reason for countries such as the United States, UK, Canada and Australia to participate in this event.

“The main reason which attracted them to this event is the victory we achieved against terrorism under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Everybody accepts the fact that he did that job. That was why all of them came here. The Navy was a huge element in that victory”, the Navy Commander said.

“They wanted to see what we had achieved. Having come, they were overwhelmed by the way we meticulously planned and executed the event in spite of the bad weather”, Samarasinghe said.

UNSC members

It was very significant that representatives from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the US, UK, China, France and Russia, participated in the event. All SAARC region navies were represented by their Navy Chiefs.

“Representatives from the US, UK, South Africa, France and Australia saw our country and how honourable our systems are”, the Navy Commander said.

The Presidential Fleet Review aerial photo of the Colombo Port.

“Everybody who came in military uniform are very close to the decision-makers of their countries and they would carry a clear message to their countries about the resettlement and reconciliation process in Sri Lanka. They pledged their support in our efforts”, the Commander explained.

The event not only provided a platform for Sri Lanka to interact with the navies across the globe, but also provided a platform for representatives from other navies to interact with each other.

The rare meeting of Indian Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Varma and Pakistan Navy Chief Admiral Noman Bashir on one platform was a significant moment during the celebrations.

“They were confident to come here and they spoke to each other. Our President set the stage for them”, the Navy Commander said.

They also participated in three events together - at the Band Fiesta, Colours Awarding and at the banquet.

The International Maritime Symposium held at the Navy Headquarters on December 8 was an important event where many ideas on maritime security were expressed.

“The papers presented were of a high quality and many proposals were made to make the oceans free of piracy and terrorism”, Samarasinghe said.

Sri Lanka could explicitly display its non-aligned foreign policy at the celebrations as President Rajapaksa gave the nod to the Navy Commander to invite any country for the event.

“Let’s tell the world we are non-aligned, the President told me. That is why we got everybody in”, the Vice Admiral said.

Closed door meeting

Although the Navy Chiefs from Korea, Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia were the first to confirm their participation at the event, they could not make it due to the situation in the Korean region. There was also a closed door meeting among the visiting Navy Chiefs at the Naval Dockyard, Trincomalee at the Chiefs of Navies Conclave on December 10.

“Many discussions were held at Navy level, and the chiefs could interact with each other and have close coordination with other navies to have direct contacts with each other”, he explained.

The series of events organised back-to-back, from December 8 to 12, provided amazing opportunities for them to interact with each other.

“The amount of revenue the event country is enormous. The logistics we provided to the ships go beyond millions of rupees. The revenue raised through the visit of more than 3,500 sailors and 300 officers to Colombo is also very significant”, the Navy Commander said.

Through the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the Sri Lanka Navy could also reach the people of this country through the Naval and Maritime Exhibition from December 5 to December 15. More than 70,000 people visited the exhibition during this period and had the opportunity to interact with the Navy personnel and view equipment and vessels.

“It gave a once in a lifetime opportunity for people from all quarters of the country to see an exhibition in a setting, fitting for a Navy exhibition, at the Lighthouse premises.

Sri Lanka could also give a clear message to the international community that it is no more the country which had existed over the past few decades as a new era has been created in the country with the defeat of terrorism under the leadership of President Rajapaksa.

The Navy Commander also made it an opportunity to appeal to the international community not to allow the Tamil Diaspora to break the decorum, tranquillity and peace in their countries using misled elements.

“They are looking at an illusion. They are only destabilising your systems using your soil. I appeal to you not to allow the use of your soil for these purposes”, he told the Navy representatives in his closing remarks to them.

Therefore, the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the Sri Lanka Navy turned out to be a platform to give a clear message to the entire world about its position, to dispel all misconceptions the world has on Sri Lanka as the Navies across the globe became clear messengers to effectively carry the message to the world.