India And Maldives To Boost Cooperation

India and the Maldives have agreed to increase their bilateral cooperation in the areas of drug trafficking prevention, coastal security, disaster management and control of organised crime, including terrorist activities. Although the two countries have been closely cooperating in these fields, they will work together to evolve an institutionalised mechanism for this purpose.

The understanding was reached during the recent two-day visit of Union Home Secretary V K Duggal to the Maldives.

According to the Home Affairs Department in Delhi, the Indian side assured the Maldives of continued support in capacity building of their civilian police, particularly in areas of scientific investigation of crime and setting up of forensic facilities. In this connection, a team of forensic experts will visit the Maldives next month.

While in Male, Duggal held discussions with Maldivian Home Minister Mohamed Thasmeen Ali, Defence Minister Ismail Shafeeu and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Ahmed Shaheed. He also called on President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Maldives is a key partner with India in the Indian Ocean Region and it bestrides the strategic sea-lanes of communication in the region. India is also assisting the Maldives Defence and Security Authorities in their needs for training and defence equipment. The continuing high level visits between India and Maldives underscores India’s desire to maintain and strengthen its frontier of peace and friendship with all countries in the Indian Ocean Region.

These latest meetings follow on from talks last year on cooperation between India and Maldives over cooperation in combating sea-borne crime and the use of uninhabited islands for alleged terrorist and criminal purposes. The Indian Navy made a gift of a fast attack patrol craft last April which is designed and armed to detect and destroy fast moving surface craft or intercepting vessels engaged in illegal activities such as poaching or smuggling.

Powered by German MTU engines, it has a maximum speed of 28 knots and is capable of extended deployment up to 2,000 nautical miles and seven days at sea.

The patrol ship was previously deployed in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and was renamed as the Huravee under the Maldives flag. Maldives has an urgent need for surveillance and patrolling of its extensive Exclusive Economic Zone for which this patrol craft is an important tool. The ship transfer also included a component of technical and material assistance by the Indian Navy to Maldives Coastguard over a period of three years.

There was controversy over the Coastguard’s use of the Huravee last November against a Maldivian boat carrying protesters to Malé from the abortive November 10 political demonstration. The MDP protested to the Indian government, alleging that this was not in line with the intended purpose of the donated patrol.

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