Threats in Indian Ocean

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2009/03/137_41852.html

By Lakhvinder Singh

Recently, many conventional and unconventional threats have begun emerging in the Indian Ocean. Recent incidents of piracy and hijacking have once again highlighted the growing dangers to the sea-lanes of communication there.

Today, piracy is the No. 1 threat to security in the region with the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea the main areas of pirate activity.

Though there could be many reasons for the growing phenomena, it's mainly attributed to regional economic conditions and the mindset of the coastal people. Piracy is invading the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, and the area seems to be more dangerous and lethal.

Earlier piracy often involved the mere stealing of valuables from ships with very few cases of associated violence. However, lately, it has evolved into a deadly and destructive force, as many crewmembers have lost their lives and ships have been destroyed in recent incidents.

Piracy, though important, is not the only serious threat to the safety of the sea-lanes of communication in the region. Many other factors of transnational nature have also begun to pose serious threats to peace and security.



Foremost is the growing threat of maritime terrorism in the Indian Ocean. As trade by sea has increased substantially, so has the threat of maritime terrorism.

The sealed containers used to transit goods from one port to another often pass through ports without undergoing thorough inspections and may hide anything from a small nuclear devise to dirty radiological bombs to human suicide bombers.

The growing use of sea routes by drug traffickers is also a serious threat to the safety and security of the sea-lanes in the region. Illegal drug trade and maritime terrorism are often intertwined. Funds and profits made from drugs often fuel terrorist activities and insurgencies.

Terrorist groups have been sighted working in tandem with drug cartels active in this region.

The emerging centers of the drug trade, namely the Golden Crescent (Iran and Pakistan) and the Golden Triangle (Myanmar and Thailand), are heavily dependent upon the sea routes to supply their products to drug cartels around the word.

This nexus between drug traffickers and maritime terrorist organizations poses one of the greatest threats to prosperity, peace and stability to counties in the Indian Ocean region.

The growing menace of gunrunning is another major problem. It, too, is deeply intermingled with drug trafficking and maritime terrorism in the region.

The link between the three is so deeply rooted and widespread that one cannot be eliminated without affecting the other two.

The sea is the least risky and fastest means for gunrunning and the most lucrative for gunrunning. Nearly every insurgent group in the region relies extensively on drug profits to continue their movement and equip their cadres with the latest weapons.

The Taliban movement in Afghanistan, which heavily depends on drug money, is a case in point. Until and unless this drug money is halted, the hope of wining the war against the Taliban might remain a mere dream for American and European forces.

Apart from these major transnational threats, other looming causes of serious security threats include oil-related disasters at sea, sea pollution and sea mining.

In addition to creating ecological havoc and affecting maritime security, oil related disasters seriously hinder economic activity in the region.

The extensive use of sea mining by many regional countries to deter illegal ships from docking on their shores threatens to disrupt sea traffic.

In some recent cases, even a mere threat or a well-calculated disinformation campaign about the laying of a minefield has deterred many merchant ships from entering certain areas.

The increasing threat to the safety of the sea-lanes of communications, mitigated by the economic and political interdependence of regional countries, has forced many to work together in the management and protection of sea-lanes.

These emerging transnational threats are making the nations think with inter-regional perspectives to tackle this growing menace. Many now feel the urgency for a concrete security regime that can establish security arrangements and prevent future problems and tensions in the region.

India and Korea have great potential for cooperation in this regard. Already two of the largest economies in Asia, they are poised to play important and leading roles in the economic growth of the region.

While most trade and other economic activities are done through the troubled sea-lanes of the Indian Ocean, it is the smooth flow of ship movement that creates economic and industrial stability for both countries.

India-Korean cooperation in the Indian Ocean can go a long way in securing the sea-lanes.

India, trying to control growing terrorism, must act together with other regional countries to deny free access of the Indian Ocean to rogue elements. Korea, with its own high stakes in the security of sea-lanes, can help.

Lakhvinder Singh, senior research fellow at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, is president of the Indo-Korean Business and Policy Forum. He can be reached at www.ikbforum.com.