Ocean peacekeeping for safe passage

Bantarto Bandoro, Jakarta

Among the international community, with its broad range of interdependent relationships, security has become a far-reaching concept that includes the preservation of international peace. Peacekeeping has long been referred to as a field operation under the auspices of the United Nations.

The recent initiative by the three littoral states -- Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore -- to establish a coordinated patrol of the Strait of Malacca, is particularly significant amid the increasing threat of piracy and possible terrorist attacks.

The coordinated patrol is also an opportunity for other countries to consider regional cooperation at sea.

Maritime affairs, including the protection of the environment, marine resources and piracy are, for littoral states, a priority.

The idea of ocean peacekeeping can be traced back to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which established a basis for the effective use of the ocean for the future of mankind. The protection of sea lanes, for example, requires the cooperative efforts of all countries, and the convention clarifies the rights and obligations of contracting parties.

Peacekeeping issues have exhaustively been debated by countries in the region under the Asean Regional Forum (ARF) since the mid 1990s. However, since 2001, the ARF has rarely discussed the subject of peacekeeping. ARF member states accept a conventional understanding of peacekeeping, namely national militaries operating under the auspices of the UN.

The ARF has constantly repeated that peacekeeping remains an issue for the UN. Indonesia recently proposed that ASEAN should have at its disposal an ASEAN peacekeeping mechanism. However, ASEAN or ARF peacekeeping ignores, to an extent, recent developments at sea.

Lack of security at sea does, of course, have serious repercussions for security on land. Given increasing threats at sea, it is vital that the region of Southeast Asia in particular initiate multilateral arrangements that specifically address common maritime problems -- such as environmental protection, smuggling, safety navigation, maritime piracy or even terrorism -- in the form of ocean peacekeeping.

Ocean peacekeeping involves international cooperation between regional navies and maritime policing organizations to conduct surveillance activities, intended not only to protect and manage marine resources and conserve the environment, but also to protect the sea from becoming fertile "ground" for attacks.

The solution to long-term genuine security in Southeast Asia may be at sea. The recent proposal that there should be regular interregional navy cooperation is one way of keeping the navy continually informed about developments at sea.

If ocean peacekeeping in Southeast Asia is feasible, it should be based on the view that obstructions to the sustainable use of the sea are a common threat.

Southeast Asian interregional navy cooperation has existed for some time, but now, with the fusion of various threats, it is imperative to act to keep those threats at bay.

Navies must expand upon their traditional duties -- that is to include not just activities dealing with armed conflicts in the sea, but also those relating to ocean governance.

The ocean peacekeeping activities of Southeast Asian countries may be carried out based on regional arrangements, or a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between them.

Given the spirit of Southeast Asian nations to continually work together, and believing that they face a common threat at sea -- albeit a long-term one, an ocean peacekeeping mechanism seems like a logical solution. It is, however, entirely different from peacekeeping carried out under the resolution of the UN Security Council -- in the sense that regional ocean peacekeeping does not require a UN mandate.

Cooperation for ocean peacekeeping should be considered part of discussions on regional security.

Because the flow of goods to the region of Southeast Asia is mostly via sea, it is important that ocean peacekeeping be focused on the security of commercial sea lanes, with navies and marine police given a special role in the operation. For this to happen, coastal states in Southeast Asia must be granted jurisdiction under regional agreements or MOUs.

Such an agreement would empower a littoral state to crack down on the violation of its laws and regulations by sea vessels, even those within the exclusive economic zone of another country. This would seem to reflect in the decision of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore to act together in the Strait of Malacca. Thus, the basic foundation for ocean peacekeeping in an ASEAN context is already in place.

While taking into consideration the ability and situation of each country in the region, it is timely to intensify the debate over various issues arising from the ocean-peacekeeping concept. ASEAN should look into the possibility that ocean peacekeeping be part of the activities of its Security Community.

The writer (bandoro@csis.or.id) is editor of The Indonesian Quarterly of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is also a lecturer at the University of Indonesia.