Small arms proliferation in Southeast Asia

Small arms proliferation in Southeast Asia

By Santo Darmosumarto

JAKARTA (JP): Southeast Asia began experiencing the impact of
small arms proliferation as early as 1975 with the end of the
Vietnam War. The movement of these weapons into and out of the
region, predominantly through illegal channels and the black
market, has now become a great security concern. It can fuel
increased levels of violent crimes, thus undermining government
efforts at establishing stability and order. Its potential
disruption towards legitimate commercial activities can also
cause serious harm to economic and social development.

The phenomenon's growth is a cause for concern because a
number of factors have allowed it to flourish:

* Inadequate controls against illicit weapons production, export
and import due to poorly trained and/or corrupt officials;

* Financial and technological difficulties in implementing
effective controls;

* Lack of regional coordination and cooperation in monitoring the
circulation and supply of weapons; and

* Non-existence of international or regional agreements on
controlling the small arms trade, both legal and illegal.
Some of the sources of small arms proliferation include China,
North Korea, Russia, Vietnam and Cambodia. There are
possibilities that weapons may also be arriving from the Indian
sub-continent; however, details on this remain sketchy.

The movement of illicit weapons is not random but highly
patterned and it can be controlled effectively through
identifying channels of supply. Unfortunately, the issue has not
received sufficient attention from regional governments.
Small arms proliferation in Southeast Asia is often linked to the
drug trade.

Both of these products are smuggled along common channels of
supply, thus facilitating opportunities for exchanges. For
example, illicit Chinese weapons travel through the country's
southwestern "Dark Channels" into Myanmar and are traded for
drugs (Central News Agency, April 9, 1992). These weapons are
also making their way to Vietnam. However, it remains unclear
whether they are intended for Vietnamese markets, or if Vietnam
is only used as a transshipping site. This is important
considering that Vietnam is already saturated with small arms
left over from past conflicts as well as those recently occurring
in neighboring Cambodia.

Asian seaports play a major role in easing proliferation.
Small arms traders take advantage of such facilities for
dispersing their merchandise throughout the region and beyond.
This problem mainly results from the large volume of goods that
pass through these ports daily, as well as the high levels of
corruption and lack of professionalism among customs and security
officials.

Ports in Southeast Asia have been identified as having some of
the least effective anti-smuggling controls in the world (Asia
Times, Sept. 24 1996). Yet, despite such criticisms, most
governments argue that increased controls would hamper legitimate
trade and make their ports unattractive to shipping companies.

Criminal elements have profited the most from easier access to
illicit weapons, and there are signs of increasing gun related
violence in the region (New Straits Times, April 15 1996). In
Indochina, drug lords are now able to build well-equipped forces,
which increasingly pose serious threats to human security and
state sovereignty.

While the small arms/drug trade model also applies to illicit
maritime activities, piracy is the more serious problem at sea.
Recent International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reports indicate that
Southeast Asia remains the region with the highest rate of piracy
in the world.

More importantly, levels of violence during pirate attacks
have increased dramatically. Considering that modern piracy is
committed mainly using homemade explosives and small arms such as
rifles and machine guns, it is possible that this trend is
sustained by the growing availability of these weapons.

As the current economic downturn deepens and Southeast Asian
governments' statehood becomes increasingly challenged, there is
a strong possibility that the proliferation of small arms may
grow even faster.

The erosion of state legitimacy by internal, non-military,
non-state elements renders the task of overcoming such economic
hardship more difficult. Therefore, it is in most governments'
interest to attribute more attention to factors that could
enhance these elements' potential for violence.

As in other parts of the world, the trafficking of illicit
small arms also fuels insurgency movements in Southeast Asia.
However, despite the high demand for light weapons among such
movements, the actual quality of weapons going into insurgent
areas remain inferior to those purchased by criminal elements.

This argument is strong considering that profits have become
the main goal of today's small arms trade. Insurgent groups in
the region often lack mechanisms to raise funds for large-scale
weapons purchase.

The United Nations (UN) remains one of the best channels for
promoting efforts to manage the problem of illicit small arms
proliferation. Attempts have been made to increase transparency
through expanding the UN Register of Conventional Weapons to
include light weapons. The UN Center for International Crime and
Prevention has also placed priority on developing
multidimensional approaches to tackling problems related to this
phenomenon. Furthermore, the UN Disarmament Committee has
conducted studies emphasizing the role of peacekeeping missions
in disarming, demobilizing and reintegrating post-conflict
societies.

However, in order for the above measures to work effectively,
they need to be complemented by regional efforts. At the national
level, governments have taken steps to control the smuggling of
weapons through stepping up surveillance, imposing strict laws
and training officials. Also, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) has
introduced the issue for discussion in one of its sub-bodies.
Nonetheless, the cross-border nature of this phenomenon requires
that states intensify cooperation and coordination at the
regional level.

Due to different national interests however, this remains
lacking among regional governments. States cannot afford to wait
any longer if the problem is to be managed effectively. This is
important to bear in mind, especially considering that small arms
are harder to retrieve once they have entered society.

The writer conducted research on the above subject when he was
a graduate student at the University of Victoria, Canada.