! ! TRINCOMALEE CONSULTATIONS 2018 Secure and Safe Bay of Bengal for Common Development and Prosperity March 27th, 2018 Colombo, Sri Lanka Organized by the Centre for Indo-Lanka Initiatives and Law of the Sea of Pathfinder Foundation in Cooperation with Carnegie India and Vivekananda International Foundation Sponsored by the Embassy of Japan TRINCOMALEE CONSULTATIONS 2018 Secure and Safe Bay of Bengal for Common Development and Prosperity Trincomalee Consultations 2018: Secure and safe Bay of Bengal for Common Development and Prosperity ——————————————————————— (copyright) Pathfinder Foundation ——————————————————————— ISBN ———————————————————————— 2nd Edition May 2018 ———————————————————————— Cover Designed By Pathfinder Foundation ————————————————————————— Printed By ………………………………… ………………………………… Table of Contents Concept Note for Trincomalee Consultations 2018 Address by Chief Guest - Hon. Ruwan Wijewardene Keynote Address by Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy Speech by Mr. Fumio Shimizu Speech by Vice Admiral Anil Chopra Enhancing Connectivity on the Bay of Bengal focusing on Trincomalee Harbour Mr. Rohan Masakorala Mr. Dileepa Sewwan Dissanayake Establishment of a Marine Research Centre Dr. C. Raja Mohan Dr. Terney Pradeep Kumara Commodore Y.N. Jayarathna Establishment of a Centre for Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) in Trincomalee for the Bay of Bengal Area Admiral Dr. Jayanath Colombage Capt. Rohan Joseph Ms. Darshana Baruah Development of the Trincomalee Bay and Regional Growth of the Bengal Area Prof. Go Ito Maritime Law in the Bay of Bengal Dr. Dan Malika Gunasekera BIMSTEC Views of Maritime Connectivity and Security: Current Initiatives Ambassador Sumith Nakandala Importance of Maritime Connectivity - Bangladesh Perspective Rear Admiral Anwarul Islam Maritime Security in the Bay of Bengal: A Perspective from Myanmar Dr Naing Swe Oo Indian Development Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal Region: Ports & Infrastructure Investments as the Engine of Growth? Dr. Rani D. Mullen Nepal’s Foreign Trade: Issues and Challenges Prof. Dr. Kushum Shakya Speaker Profiles Agenda of Trincomalee Consultations 2018 List of Participants Concept Note for Trincomalee Consultations 2018 Secure and Safe Bay of Bengal for Common Development and Prosperity The Indian Ocean Region is home to nearly one-third of the world’s population and is of high economic and strategic significance due to its location and traffic that passes through it. It is estimated that nearly half of the world’s containers, one third of bulk cargo traffic and two thirds of oil shipments pass through the Indian Ocean. Also, there is a shift in global economic weight and influence from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to Indo-Asia-Pacific. The rise of China to second and India to sixth position in the world economic order is a clear example of this economic shift. With a growing population in India and already a large population in China, there will be a requirement to produce and trade more. Therefore, in the 21st century, the Indian Ocean has become the key ocean for energy, trade and food security. This has led to a new interest in the freedom of navigation and overflight in the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean is part of global commons and many major trading nations such as the USA, Japan, China, South Korea, Australia and Asian countries have shown their interest in this ocean. There are also some politically and security-wise unstable states in the Indian Ocean, which add to the volatility of strategic maritime security. Also, the presence of non-state actors such as pirates, terrorists, hijackers, IUU fishers, religious extremists, and smugglers of weapons/narcotics/humans, make maritime security a complex scenario. Sri Lanka, being in the geographical epicentre of the Indian Ocean and having balanced relations with other states in the region, has a unique advantage in bringing scholars, practitioners and think-tanks from across the Indo-Asia Pacific region to discuss a wide variety of topics and can become a hub for new concepts such as Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) and an International Oceanology Research Centre focusing on the Bay of Bengal Region. The Centre for Indo-Lanka Initiatives (CILI) of the Pathfinder Foundation, together with Carnegie India, conducted a successful track 1.5 conference in February 2017 focusing on the topic “Trincomalee Consultations: Regional Cooperation for Economic Prosperity and Maritime Security in the Bay of Bengal”, with the participation of government officials, scholars and subject experts from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives, BIMSTEC, Japan and Sri Lanka. !6 The agenda of the conference was designed to focus on the following sub-themes: • Review the unfolding geo-strategic significance of and assess the regional security cooperation demands in the Bay of Bengal region. • Examine the current state of cooperation among the countries in the Bay of Bengal Region in maritime transportation, aviation and other sectors of economic activity. • Discuss the potential for developing Trincomalee as a regional hub for shipping, aviation and other sectors of economic activity to serve the Bay of Bengal Region and develop a way forward for further enhancement of cooperation. Based on the outcome recommendations of the Trincomalee Consultations 2017, three separate research projects have been conducted with the sponsorship of the Government of Japan, which formed the backbone of 'Trincomalee Consultations 2018'. The Indian Ocean is part of global commons and hence should be accessible to all states for peaceful purposes. Sri Lanka, situated in a geographically strategic position and having a balanced and equidistant foreign policy, could play a catalyst role in moving ahead with an “Indian Ocean Order” for maintaining stability and security of seaborne commerce and freedom in the Indian Ocean. The ‘Trincomalee Consultations - 2018’ focus on the following broad areas: • Review the unfolding geo-strategic significance of and assess the regional security cooperation demands in the Bay of Bengal Region. • Examine the current state of cooperation among the countries in the Bay of Bengal Region in maritime transport, aviation and other sectors of economic activity. Establishing centers for Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), Law of the Sea and a Maritime Research Center in Trincomalee, focusing on the Bay of Bengal. • Discuss the potential for developing Trincomalee as a regional hub for shipping (with special focus on coastal shipping), aviation, Petro-chemicals, high-speed rail connectivity, electricity grid connectivity, enhancing people-to-people connectivity !7 through religious, cultural, eco-tourism and other sectors of economic activity to serve the Bay of Bengal Region and develop a way forward for further enhancement of cooperation. This forum will also aim to highlight the challenges in information sharing, while underlining the required mechanisms, infrastructure and technical expertise to promote a stable, peaceful and free Bay of Bengal. !8 Address by the Chief Guest Hon. Ruwan Wijewardene State Minister of Defence of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka I am indeed honoured to be invited by the Pathfinder Foundation to attend the inauguration of ‘Trincomalee Consultations - 2018’, which is the second round, following the successful first round held in 2017. The theme of the conference is “Secure and Safe Bay of Bengal For Common Development and Prosperity”, and I take that, what is intended to be discussed is development potential for prosperity of the countries and people living around the rim of the bay in a secure environment. The Bay of Bengal is a dynamic region located in the Indian Ocean, which is home to nearly one quarter of the world’s population. Moreover, the Indian Ocean is of high economic and strategic significance to the world due to the sheer volume of maritime traffic that passes through it. It is estimated that nearly half of world’s container shipping, one third of bulk cargo traffic and two thirds of oil shipments pass through the Indian Ocean. The Bay of Bengal is the world’s largest bay, which plays a significant role in maritime affairs of the world as the connector between the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans. Its waters wash shores of Bangladesh, India, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Several other countries are located in the periphery of the Bay, including Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. The combined population of these countries is close to 2 billion. Over the years, there has been a gradual shift in global economic weight and influence from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to Indo-Pacific. Rise of China to the second and India to the sixth position in the world economic order, is a clear example of this dynamic economic shift, which is constantly changing leading to strategic concerns. With a growing population in India and a slightly larger population in China, there will be a need to produce, transport and trade more, generating demand and competition for raw materials. Consequently, the Indian Ocean has become the key ocean for supply of energy, trade and food security in the 21st century. These developments have also led to rivalries leading to new interest in the freedom of navigation and overflight in the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean is part of global commons and many major trading nations such as the USA, Japan, China, Republic of Korea, Australia as well as other major maritime users appear to be