Despite Australian military sanctions on Rangoon, a navy ship from Burma will be working alongside the Australian navy in a regional navy exercise in the Indian Ocean. Ships from 13 navies across the Asia-Pacific region are currently taking part in the anti-piracy and counter-terrorism exercises, run from Port Blair on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Presenter: Paul Allen
Speakers: Uday Bhaskar, Deputy Director of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis in New Delhi and retired Indian Naval Commodore; Shane Doolan, Glenelg Lieutenant Commander; Zetty Blake Burma Campaign Australia
- Listen:
- Windows Media
ALLEN: Every year since 1995, India has run Exercise Milan .. Milan being the Hindi word for meeting. It's aimed at building mutual understanding and closer cooperation between the region's navies. Retired Indian Naval Commodore Uday Bhaskar is deputy director of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analysis in New Delhi.
BHASKAR: More than any serious operational exercises, it is really abut confidence building and trying to arrive at some consensus in dealign with humanitarian disaster relief, as and when the need arises.
ALLEN: Judging by the year on year increase in participants in Exercise Milan, it's been a big success. Burma joined in 2003. Australia has imposed military sanctions on Burma, which prevents it from training or supplying the Burma's military. But for the third year in a row, Australia has taken part in Exercise Milan with 12 other nations including Burma, this year sending the HMAS Glenelg. It's a patrol boat mostly used for fisheries protection, immigration, customs and drug law enforcement work. A spokesperson from Australia's Minister of Defence's office was unable to respond to Radio Australia's questions about the deployment before our deadline. However, Commander Lieutenant Commander Shane Doolan of the Glenelg stressed the importance of Australia taking part in such a broad regional exercise.
DOOLIN: Absolutely because we are part of the Indian Ocean nations and it's not just looked forward to, this exercise is a joint operation right now. I think it's also an obligation of every nation to participate in, especially, piracy, and criminal activity and terrorism because often terrorism follows the criminal lines of piracy and all that stuff.
ALLEN; Retired Indian Commodore Bhaskar says the exercise is less military and more humanitarian in nature. He sees no obstacle to the involvement of the Burmese Navy, despite the military regime's reputation.
BHASKAR: India has been engaging bilaterally with Myanmar and while we are aware of the fact that the perception of Myanmar by some of the other countries is, to use your words, perhaps odious, India had arrived at the determination in the early '90s that it would be in its own national interest to have a bilateral engagement with Myanmar. And my own assessment is that for India there is no option of not engaging with Myanmar given the strong security connections that we have particularly as far as the Indian northeast is concerned. And as regards to the regime, we draw attention to the fact that there are many authoritiarian regimes in the world, whether they be China or Saudi Arabia, and yet there are countries in the world that find it necessary to engage with them. So to that extent, tyou now this cannot be seen in such a black and white moral dimension. I think each country engages in the manner that it perceives it to be in its own interest. With the caveat of engagement it does not mean the endorsement of the principles and values of the other.
ALLEN: However, Zetty Blake of Burma Campaign Australia says Australia's involvement in the exercise, no matter how apparently benign, is deplorable.
BLAKE: The Burmese military dictatorship is the biggest threat to security in the reigon. And we question why Australia, who has an arms embargo against military dictatorships and supports an international one, would be participating in a navy exercise with Burma's navy and providing them with skills.
Source :http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/connectasia/stories/201002/s2814357.htm
Comments
Post a Comment