Natasha Fernando is Program Officer at Regional Centre for Strategic Studies, Sri Lanka and Regional Liaison Officer for Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) South Asia. She holds a LLB honors from University of London and BA honors in International Studies.
By Natasha FernandoJune 6, 2019 Recent parliamentary debates concerning defense and security in Sri Lanka were mainly focused on the country’s Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the US. News outlets such as the Maharaja Corporation sensationalized the agreement as a “threat to Sri Lanka’s sovereignty,” among various other commentators on the subject. US Ambassador
READ MOREby Natasha Fernando 25 April 2019 In 2009, Sri Lanka defeated one of the world’s most ruthless terrorist organizations, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE), after three decades of carnage. The recent terror attacks in Colombo, Negombo, and Batticaloa mirrored the violence of the past, crippling the entire state security apparatus in just one day.
READ MOREHe would not fly the Rovers’ flag — the bloody or the black, But now he floated the Gridiron and now he flaunted the Jack. He spoke of the Law as he crimped my crew — he swore it was only a loan; But when I would ask for my own again, he swore it
READ MORESri Lanka is an island nation in the Indian Ocean located at the tip of the South Asian Subcontinent. Often praised as the pearl of the Indian Ocean, it’s strategically located among important sea lanes of communication that passes through strategic chokepoints including Strait of Malacca, Bay of Bengal and Gulf of Mannar. Sri Lanka
READ MOREBy Natasha Fernando 29 January 2019 The Indian Ocean Region has gained traction in regional multilateral cooperation with policy dialogues centering on economic cooperation, trade and investments, the Belt Road Initiative and security centered discussion spanning non-traditional security challenges, maritime territorial disputes, and regional stability. The development of the ASEAN Regional Forum, the Shangri-La dialogue of Defence Ministers,
READ MOREby Natasha Fernando 18 January 2019 Sri Lanka and Philippine diplomatic relations dates back to 1961 with bilateral visits and discussion on cooperation spanning cultural affairs, visa and taxation requirements for Philippine workers in Sri Lanka, trade and air transport. The first official head of state visit occurred in 1976 when Hon. Sirimavo Bandaranaike visited
READ MOREBallistic missiles are rocket propelled weapons systems capable of carrying high explosives and also chemical, biological and nuclear munitions. Ballistic missiles fall into several categories such as strategic missiles (capable of being launched by land or sea), submarine based fleet ballistic missiles, and intercontinental ballistic missiles etc. Currently there are several states that have developed
READ MOREby Natasha Fernando 28 November 2018 Maritime piracy is a significant threat to safe navigation of the seas. Due to the rise of Somali piracy, different states entered collaborative defense pacts to mitigate the threat. Among these inter-governmental coalitions are those of the European Union Naval Force, Operation Ocean Shield, Combined Task Forces
READ MOREImage credit: INSSSL by Natasha Fernando 9 November 2018 In the month of March 2018, Sri Lanka declared a state of emergency following riots and communal violence in the Central Province. An incident in Ampara, of North Eastern Province followed a claim by an individual to have come across ‘infertility pills’ in a plate of food at
READ MOREWikipedia By Natasha Fernando The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a sub-regional organization comprised of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand. [[i]]BIMSTEC has defined itself as a ‘sector-driven’ organization for cooperation in areas of mutual interest which includes, trade, technology, energy, transport, tourism, fisheries,
READ MOREby Natasha Fernando 27 August 2018 Recently, the Japanese Minister of Defence Itsunori Onodera, the Ambassador of Japan in Sri Lanka Mr.Kenichi Sugunuma, Defence Advisor to the Japanese embassy Captain Atsuhiro Morore, and representatives of Japanese government paid a visit to Sri Lanka’s Eastern Naval Command Headquarters in Trincomalee and the Hambantota Port. The Japanese have
READ MOREby Natasha Fernando 26 July 2018 It is not disputed that S.W.R.D Bandaranaike was the founding father of the non-aligned foreign policy of Sri Lanka when he became Prime Minister in 1956. This was when the Second World War was over, and the world turned in to a tight bi-polar system dominated by
READ MOREThe Indian Ocean has immense strategic and economic value, due to trade and commercial activities. However, maritime crime which includes: piracy, human, drug and weapons trafficking have posed a threat to safe navigation of the seas. A Stimson Institute study (2012) on maritime security challenges in Indian Ocean region identifies the following: it
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