India for strong action against terror by like-minded nations

Voicing concern over the "spreading tide of extremism", India today sought strong, coordinated action by like-minded nations to combat the menace as well as growing non-traditional threats like piracy.
Addressing Thai academics, businessmen and students at the prestigious Chulalongkorn University here, Ansari also touched upon the "evolving situation" in the South China Sea that demands restraint from all parties.
India supports collective efforts by ASEAN member states and China to conclude the code of conduct to keep peace and stability in the region, Ansari said about the South China Sea (SCS) issue in which Beijing is involved in a territorial dispute with a number of ASEAN members.

China claims the SCS - a major shipping lane - and 90 per cent of the islands including major shipping lanes that dot it. Brunei, along with other ASEAN members like Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam, has been also staking claims in the South China Sea. Over half of the world's commercial cargo passes through the Indo-Pacific waterways.
"Non-traditional threats such as piracy, smuggling, transnational crimes and drug-trafficking are on the rise and pose a challenge for our countries and require strong and determined, coordinated action to control.
"The spreading tide of extremism and terrorism is a threat we (India and Thailand) both face. Successfully dealing with such threats requires strong cooperation among like- minded partners.

"Thailand and India already have a robust cooperation in this area and I am glad that we have also taken steps to institutionalise such cooperation at the regional level," he said during his visit to Thailand.

Ansari also said that India is ready to "meet the expectations of our friends in the region and play a more pro-active role in the processes leading to the ASEAN Community".
Underlining that there is "tremendous potential" for enhancing bilateral defence ties, he said India hopes to continue the already "robust" cooperation.
Ansari, who flew into this southeast Asian country on the first visit by an Indian Vice President in half a century at the invitation of Thai premier Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha made the remarks in his speech on 'India, Thailand and ASEAN: Contours of a Rejuvenated Relationship'.

India has a shared vision for a peaceful region and the seas around it and believes that all trade routes and the sea lanes must be protected from traditional and non-traditional threats and all countries using these international waters must act with responsibility and restraint, he said.
Stressing on the need for enhancing bilateral defence
ties, he said: "Thailand has played host to ships of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard on several occasions in recent years.
"We hope to continue this cooperation through technical, human resource development, capacity building and contributing to the development of Thai capacities, both physical and human."

He called for synergising efforts in areas of economy and business to enhance and diversify trade, saying despite the large size and rapid growth of respective economies, the trade and investment between India and Thailand remains modest.
"We need to encourage our private sectors to make investments in infrastructure and manufacturing sectors in the each others' country and for this the two governments are willing to provide a predictable and comprehensive legal and taxation frame-work," he said.
On India's engagement with ASEAN, Ansari said: "The Delhi Dialogue, the eighth edition of which will be held later this month; the ASEAN-India Eminent Persons Lecture Series and the ASEAN-India Centre in New Delhi are important components of our agenda to enhance mutual understanding."

The ASEAN-India Plan of Action for the period 2016-20 was adopted in August 2015 which identifies concrete initiatives and areas of cooperation along the three ASEAN pillars - political-security, economic and socio-cultural, he said, adding: We have opened a separate Mission to ASEAN and EAS in Jakarta to further strengthen our engagement."
Speaking on the trident of commerce, culture and connectivity, he said: "India is considering the feasibility of liberalising our visa regime for ASEAN countries to facilitate Buddhist tourist arrivals.
Connectivity with ASEAN in all its dimensions - physical, institutional and people-to-people - continues to be a strategic priority for India, he said.

"Special efforts are being made to develop a coherent strategy, particularly for linking ASEAN with North East India. This is reflected in the finalisation of negotiations on the India-Myanmar-Thailand Motor Vehicles Agreement and ASEAN-India Maritime Transport Cooperation Agreement.
"ASEAN-India Civil Aviation Task Force is expected to oversee optimisation of air connectivity. Other major projects on connectivity include the Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Transport Project and Rhi-Tiddim Road," he said.
He also stressed on the need for India and ASEAN to focus on an extension of the trilateral highway to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
"We also have to work towards converting these transport corridors into economic corridors. The Mekong-India Economic Corridor, which is expected to connect the industrial and freight corridors in India with the production networks in the Mekong region through the Chennai-Dawei sea link will have a beneficial effect on all our economies.

"As part of our digital connectivity initiatives, we are exploring the setting up of information highways or i-ways between India and ASEAN," he said.