Date:06/07/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/07/06/stories/2006070608350400.htm

Tamil Nadu

Indo-Korean Coast Guard exercises conclude

Special Correspondent

Operation concentrated on search and rescue, pollution response

MUTUAL COOPERATION: Coast Guard exercises involving India and Korea in Indian waters concluded on Wednesday. — Photo: K. Pichumani

ON BOARD THE CGS SARANG : The first Coast Guard exercises between India and Korea in Indian waters concluded here on Wednesday afternoon. Senior officials of both sides said that they had learnt a lot from each other and described the exercises as successful.

Indian Coast Guard Eastern region Commander IG Rajender Singh said that the two countries had agreed to cooperate in search and rescue, combating marine pollution and trans-national crimes, exchange of information on rogue vessels, persons and suspects. The exercises tested out part of this larger agenda and concentrated on search and rescue, pollution response, boarding a rogue vessel and fire-fighting.

In order to ensure that communications between the Korean and Indian ships were smooth a team of Indian officers were positioned on the Korean ship, Taepyungyang No. 6, while a team from the Korean vessel were on board CGS Sarang. "There are English speaking officers on both ships. Hence it is easy to communicate," IG Singh told presspersons.

Two officers from the Maldivian Coast Guard and a three-member delegation from Korea witnessed the exercise, said DIG S.P.Sharma. The exercises would help define the role that each force could play in the event of an actual operation and also help understand procedures of the other country better, he added.

The Director General, Intelligence and Investigation, Korean Coast Guard, Superintendent General Cho In Hyun, said that the two countries would draw up a standardised procedure manual to be followed by Coast Guard vessels of both countries during operations.

This would help both countries during times of actual operations. The cooperation between friendly forces in the region was imperative at a time when threats to international shipping was on the increase, he said.

The exercises confirmed the capacity of the two forces to operate in unison, he said.

The next set of exercises would be held in Korean waters next year and the exercises will be a regular affair.

`No LTTE cadre identified'

On the situation along the International Boundary with Sri Lanka, IG Singh said that the Coast Guard deployed three of its ships on round-the-clock duty in the Palk Bay. There were no serious incidents so far, except for the arrival of a large number of refugees. According to information with the Coast Guard, no Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam cadre had so far been identified.