Intelligence sharing key to regional security

Enhanced cooperation between Intelligence agencies is essential for maintaining national and regional security, Sri Lanka's top defence official said today.
Regional security could only be ensured from threats of terrorism, human trafficking, drug smuggling and the illegal financial transactions by sharing intelligence, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said.
Addressing the Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Rajapaksa said, "For Intelligence to be more effective...It needs to be shared amongst nations."
Citing the example of the LTTE, Rajapaksa said the terror group raised funds abroad and used agents in various parts of the world to smuggle arms, ammunition and heavy weaponry to Sri Lanka through the sea.

"Even after the end of the war, the rump of the LTTE organisation is still engaged in raising funds and trying to regroup in order to destabilize Sri Lanka through various means."
"Because of the effective cooperation between Intelligence agencies, however, we were able to identify and stop these developments in their early stages," he said.
"This is an example of how enhanced cooperation between Intelligence agencies is essential for maintaining national and regional security," the Sri Lanka defence secretary said.