Sri Lanka remains vigilant of emerging security threats, says top defence official

Sri Lanka remains vigilant of emerging security threats despite the end of a 30-year civil conflict between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels, a top defence official said here on Tuesday.

Speaking at an international Defence Seminar themed "National Security in the context of Emerging Global Threats" here, Defence Secretary B.M.U.D. Basnayake said that in the 21st century national security, challenges differ in form and combating such threats requires not only efforts but also cooperation, coordination and collaboration among countries with the ever increasing frequency of conflicts.

He noted that in today's context, threats are posed to national security not only from traditional nation states but from non state actors including terrorist networks and organized groups engaged in various criminal activities.

"Although the defeat of the terrorists in May 2009 paved the way for peace and for rapid post conflict development, our security forces and law enforcement agencies must remain vigilant about emerging threats including drug smuggling, human trafficking, and organized crime."

"Those engaged in transnational crime especially make increasing use of technological advances to stay ahead of the national security apparatus. Combating such groups not only requires effort on the part of individual Governments, but cooperation, coordination and collaboration amongst countries," he said.

Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Yi Xianliang, said at the seminar said that China had established the policies and practices to handle the threats and challenges of the coming decades, in which international cooperation is one of the key elements.

He added that despite facing many threats and challenges themselves, China would develop itself through upholding world peace and contribute to world peace through its own development. "China seeks mutual benefit and common development with other countries under the context of globalization, and will work together with other countries to build a harmonious world of durable peace and common prosperity. China's path is scientific, independent, open, peaceful, cooperative and common development. Since the targets of the peaceful development are hard to achieve, the Chinese government has never wavered in this."

The Chief Guest of the international seminar, former President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, said that unless the international community began to see terrorism as a common threat to the very survival of the world, there could not be an end to the chain of extremism, coupled with terrorism. "There will not be an end to terrorism and extremism as long as we do not look at terrorism as a common threat to the world order. It would not certainly end if some of us would say that it does not affect us. It is a collective urge if we were to get out of it, "he said.

The two day international defence seminar drew scholars, intellectuals, policy makers and military leaders from over 35 countries and would conclude on Wednesday. Endi