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This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from the King’s Research Portal at https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/ Emerging Security Paradigm in the Eastern Indian Ocean Region A Blue Ocean of Malaysia-India Maritime Security Cooperation Krishnan, Tharishini Awarding institution: King's College London The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without proper acknowledgement. END USER LICENCE AGREEMENT Unless another licence is stated on the immediately following page this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the work Under the following conditions: Attribution: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). 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Oct. 2021 Emerging Security Paradigm in the Eastern Indian Ocean Region: A Blue Ocean of Malaysia-India Maritime Security Cooperation THARISHINI KRISHNAN King’s India Institute King’s College London For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) December 2015 i DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP I hereby confirm that the thesis submitted is totally my own work and that any part of it which are copied from other sources are referenced therein in the prescribed manner according to the rules and regulations of King’s College London. Tharishini Krishnan December 2015 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I am humbly grateful to all almighty God for good health and wellbeing that were necessary to complete this thesis. I would like to express my special appreciation and sincere thanks to Professor Dr. Harsh V Pant for assisting and guiding me with all his knowledge and expertise in writing this thesis over the last four years. This thesis would not have been possible without his continuous encouragement and support. His wisdom and commitments inspired and motivated me. I am also grateful to my second supervisor Professor Dr. Sunil Khilnani who is also the Director of King’s India Institute for providing valuable assistance and guidance where needed. I also would like to thank my employer, National Defence University Malaysia and The Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia for sponsoring me with a scholarship to pursue my PhD in London. My personal gratitude to King’s College London as it is a great honor to be part of such a prestigious college. There have been others in the background that has been a source of comfort and inspiration for me. First and foremost, I am deeply grateful to my father, Krishnan Vassoo who have been a great pillar of strength and supported me financially. My appreciation is also for my mother, Danayalli Jayakrishnan who has been constantly supporting me emotionally and prayed for my success. I am thankful to my two brothers, Surenthiran Krishnan and Jiventheran Krishnan for having hope and faith on me throughout my PhD life in London. I would also like to thank Dr. Tang Siew Mun, currently Senior Fellow of Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore and Associate Professor Dr. Kuik Cheng Chwee, senior lecturer of National University of Malaysia for being wonderful mentors to me. Their continuous guidance, encouragement, faith and friendship had given me great sense of strength and foundation to pursuit my PhD. I also would like to thank Mrs. S. Geetha Sundram, who undertook to be the guarantor for my PhD scholarship. Lastly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my friends, colleagues and relatives who had contributed to my success directly and indirectly. iii ABSTRACT This study investigates the emergence of Malaysia-India Maritime Security Cooperation (MIMSC) in response to traditional threats and non-traditional security threats at the Eastern Indian Ocean Region (EIOR). This thesis argues that although both Malaysia and India have identified the maritime significance of the EIOR to them, the common threat faced by them in that region, and have recognised the need for cooperation in maritime security, it appears at present that MIMSC in EIOR projects a lack of robustness in its engagement. This is despite both an appreciation of the relations between the two countries, and a substantial ability to address the challenges of the EIOR. The positive relations that are challenged by these maritime threats show that there is a pressing need for both countries to draw up effective maritime policies. But it is as yet unclear why these countries have failed to do so. The paucity of scientific investigation into the question of why the two states have failed to draw up an effective maritime policy cooperation despite their potential to do so, and the lack of availability of substantive arguments, turn this question into a significant field of academic inquiry. In order to address this issue, this thesis will ask three sub-questions, relating to: a) the drivers of MIMSC in EIOR, b) the emerging areas of maritime cooperation in mitigating traditional and non-traditional threats in EIOR, and c) the critical factors that would contribute towards a successful MIMSC in EIOR. It will cover the dynamics of MIMSC from the post-Cold War era in EIOR, and draw more substantial answers to how MIMSC in post-Cold War period is a ‘missed opportunity’ but projects a ‘promising opportunity’ to address issues of maritime security threats in the EIOR. Qualitative research design is employed in this research inquiry. This research has used two primary data collection method: a) in-depth personal interviews and b) focus group interviews. Informants were selected through purposeful sampling, focusing on high-ranked retired and serving officials from the Navy, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, maritime security agencies, and think tanks. This research used the NVIVO 10 software program to conduct a Thematic Content Analysis (TCA) to analyse data obtained through interviews. Several emerging areas of maritime collaboration are shaping MIMSC in the EIOR such as: a) partnership in search and rescue operation, b) humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, b) increasing interoperability of constabulary role, c) partnership in defence industry, and d) partnership in maritime resources and competence. These areas of maritime collaboration are highly dependent on major critical success factors such as: a) shaping both formal and informal bilateral and multilateral maritime cooperation, b) overcoming bureaucracy and statutory bottlenecks, c) shared cost-benefit and d) change in maritime strategic thinking. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF MAPS vii LIST OF TABLES viii LIST OF DIAGRAMS ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 The Problem Statement 7 1.3 Significance of the Study 10 1.4 Organisation of the Thesis 11 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW & METHODOLOGY 2.1 Introduction 12 2.2 Part One: Definitions of Key Terms 12 2.22 Drivers of Change 14 2.23 Emerging Area of Cooperation 15 2.24 Critical Success Factors 15 2.3 Buzan’s Regional Complex Theory: Securitising 16 the Threats in Eastern Indian Ocean Region for Malaysia-India Maritime Security Cooperation 2.4 Look East Policy and Act East Policy: An Overview 20 2.41 India’s Look East Policy and Act East Policy 21 2.42 India-Southeast Asia Maritime Security 29 Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region 2.43 Malaysia-India Maritime Security Cooperation 35 In the Eastern Indian Ocean Region 2.5 Part Two: Methodology 39 2.6 Research Design 39 2.7 Strategy of Inquiry 39 2.8 Data Collection Methods 40 2.81 In-depth Personal Interviews 41 2.82 Focus Group Interviews 41 2.83 In depth Personal Interview and Focus Group 42 Protocols/ Procedures 2.84 Data Management and Analysis 43 2.85 Content Analysis 44 v CHAPTER 3: MALAYSIA-INDIA MARITIME NEXUS: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 3.1 Introduction 46 3.2 India to Meet Malaya 46 3.3 India in the Early Malay World 53 3.4 The Imperial Eras of the European Powers 58 3.41 The Arrival of the Portuguese 59 3.42 Enter the Dutch 61 3.43 British Entry 66 3.5 Malaysia-India Maritime Relations: The Cold War 69 Period (1945-1990) 3.51 Self-Sufficiency Maritime Strategy (1947-1961) 70 3.52 Blue Water Maritime Strategy (1962-1990) 72 3.6 Malaysia-India Maritime Relations under the 75 Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) 3.61 Indian Ocean Region as Zone of Peace 84 CHAPTER 4: THE DRIVERS OF MALAYSIA-INDIA MARITIME SECURITY COOPERATION IN THE EASTERN INDIAN OCEAN REGION DURING THE POST-COLD WAR ERA 4.1 Introduction 91 4.2 Geographical Proximity 92 4.3 The Geopolitical Scenario in the Eastern Indian 94 Ocean Region 4.4 China’s Maritime Ambitions 96 4.5 Economic Significance 102 4.6 Maritime Significance 108 4.7 Conclusion 115 CHAPTER 5: MALAYSIA-INDIA MARITIME SECURITY COOPERATION AND MITIGATION OF TRADITIONAL SECURITY THREATS IN THE EASTERN INDIAN OCEAN REGION 5.1 Introduction 117