Sri Lanka has called on member states of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) to strengthen regional security cooperation in order to control terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking and cybercrime in the Bay of Bengal region. The appeal was made by Ananda Wijepala, Sri Lanka's Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs, while addressing the first BIMSTEC Home Ministers' meeting held on October 13 in New Delhi, India. Wijepala told the gathering that timely information sharing and coordination among member states are essential to meeting these challenges.
A Unified Response to Cross-Border Threats
At the New Delhi meeting, Wijepala placed the fight against transnational crime squarely on the BIMSTEC agenda, stressing that terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking and cybercrime remain pressing problems for the countries of the Bay of Bengal. He underlined the need for member states to act together rather than in isolation if these threats are to be brought under control. According to reports of the meeting, the Sri Lankan minister framed stronger regional security cooperation as the key to that effort.
The four challenges highlighted by Wijepala share a common feature: they cross borders with ease. Trafficking networks move people and narcotics along land and maritime routes that span several countries in the region, while cybercrime operates largely beyond the reach of any single national jurisdiction. Wijepala's emphasis on cooperation reflects the reality that a threat entering the region through one member state quickly becomes a concern for all.
Timely Information Sharing and Coordination
Central to Sri Lanka's message was the need for speed in how BIMSTEC countries exchange security-related information. Wijepala said timely information sharing and coordination among member states are essential, a point that goes to the practical heart of regional security cooperation. Information about trafficking routes, suspects or online criminal activity loses much of its value if it arrives late, and the Sri Lankan minister made clear that timely exchange is what will make cooperation effective.
Coordination, as Wijepala presented it, is the counterpart to information sharing. Member states need working channels through which the home ministries and security agencies responsible for policing, border management and countering crime can act on what they learn from one another. By pairing the two, Sri Lanka's message to the New Delhi meeting was that political commitment to regional cooperation must be matched by arrangements that function in real time.
A First-of-Its-Kind Meeting in New Delhi
The October 13 gathering in the Indian capital was the first time home ministers of the BIMSTEC countries have come together in a dedicated meeting. The decision to convene the ministers responsible for home and internal affairs reflects the growing importance that internal security now holds within a grouping traditionally associated with trade and economic cooperation.
For Sri Lanka, the meeting offered a direct channel to counterparts from across the region. Represented by Wijepala, who holds the Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs portfolio, the country used the platform to articulate its security priorities and to press for stronger collective mechanisms against terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking and cybercrime.
BIMSTEC at a Glance
BIMSTEC is a regional organization of seven countries connected to the Bay of Bengal. Established in 1997, it brings together the following members:
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- India
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Sri Lanka
- Thailand
The grouping's secretariat is based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and its members span the area between South and Southeast Asia. As its full name suggests, BIMSTEC was built around multi-sectoral technical and economic cooperation, and its agenda has grown to cover a range of sectors, with security, including the fight against terrorism and transnational crime, among its areas of cooperation.
Sri Lanka's Stake in the Bay of Bengal
Sri Lanka is an island nation located south of India in the Bay of Bengal, a position that places it at the maritime crossroads of the region. For Colombo, the security of these waters and the prevention of trafficking and other cross-border crimes are matters of direct national concern, which helps explain why the country used the first home ministers' meeting to press its case for closer cooperation.
With the first BIMSTEC Home Ministers' meeting now held in New Delhi, Sri Lanka's position is on record: terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking and cybercrime in the Bay of Bengal region can only be controlled if member states cooperate closely, share information in a timely manner and coordinate their responses. Wijepala's message, delivered on October 13, places the task before all seven members of the grouping to turn that cooperation into practice.
