Activities of domestic, ethno-nationalist and religious militant groups pose a significant challenge to peace and stability of several countries across the South Asia region. And the countries are worried about how to deal with this emerging challenge.
"Myanmar-based ARSA (Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army) are the sympathizers of the extremist groups in South East Asia region. And the Jemaah Islamiyah has been involved in terrorist activities within Myanmar, creating a sense of insecurity within the region," Dr Naing Swe Oo, founder and executive director, ThayNinGa Institute of Strategic Studies, Myanmar said. Talking at the 11the South Asia Conference in New Delhi, Naing Swe Oo also said that terrorism has a hybrid nature, and is not new to South and South East Asia.
The two-day long event is organised by defence think tank, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), and the theme of this year's year’s conference is “Non-Traditional Security Challenges in South Asia: Agenda for Cooperation”.
Dr. K.R. Srinivas, senior consultant in Delhi-based Research and Information System for Developing Countries, said, "SAARC will have to play a more significant role in tackling or bringing the NTS (non-traditional security) issues to a point of dialogue." He also said that science diplomacy (science-based negotiations) has gained significance in recent times as it has the potential to resolve many ecological issues in the South Asia Region.
"In the current scenario, security has become all encompassing—including economics, water, food and energy, health, environment, climate change, as also the issues of cyber, space, technology, demography, and security of information, in addition to the sub-traditional issues of terrorism, radicalism, proliferation of small arms and WMD(weapons of mass destruction) technology," Dr Ashok Behra, Senior Fellow and South Asia Centre Coordinator, IDSA, said.
Terming these issues as transnational in nature—not restricted by boundaries—he suggested that all states in the region collectively ward off these threats.
Summing up the geo-political significance of the region, Behuria said that South Asia is at a critical juncture of history, displaying enormous capacity for economic growth.
"Regional cooperation would offer an opportunity for further accelerating such growth through cooperation," he said while adding that the impulses of change that initiatives like the South Asia Conference generates would reinforce the efforts of states to deliver greater public goods to the people.
"Border security is important to preserve National Security. South and South East Asia Should have an integrated strategy to tackle the threat of terrorism," Dr Naing Swe Oo said.
Giving Sri Lankan perspective to the non-traditional security, Asanga Abeyagoonasekera, director general of Institute of National Security Studies Sri Lanka (INSSSL) under the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence, said, "Post conflict Sri Lanka could play a crucial role in the process of bringing the issue of NTS challenges to the forefront." He also said a holistic security architecture is needed to fight the NTS challenge in South Asia.
In his address, deputy director general, IDSA, Maj Gen Alok Deb (Retd), while referring to the World Bank Report on ‘Realising the Promise of Trade in South Asia’, which states that South Asia remains the world’s least integrated region, observed that despite conflicting security interests, states can still be persuaded to work together—through collective action on non-traditional security issues, which affect both parties equally, and where mutual understanding exists.
Suggesting that non-traditional security issues, which have been calculated to account for more casualties than during wars in the post-cold war era, are receiving greater attention by policymakers, Maj Gen Deb said, "the way forward should be towards engaging each other on issues which are mutually advantageous and on which a common understanding can exist. This would enhance trust, to prepare the right setting and look at more complex issues later,” he concluded.
