India's Neglected Strategic & Financial Assets---The Andaman & Nicobar Islands. They Can Add To India's Security & As Floating Aircraft Carriers

Gone are the days when national jurisdiction of the country's seas was determined by the distance from the coast a cannon ball could be fired, 3 nautical miles was the accepted territorial limit. In 1967 it was replaced by the 12 mile limit which remains so today embodied in the United Nations Laws of the Seas Convention UNCLOS 1982. For all purposes -- security, customs, health, banking etc., in these waters are sovereign territory where national laws apply.

Further the when UNCLOS 1982 which came into effect in 1994, it defined oceanic jurisdiction for the country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) as 200 nautical miles from its coasts and around its islands, .where a nation controls all economic activity such as fishing, seabed mining, oil exploration etc. With islands securing such vast extended exclusive zones around it, the Law found it necessary to define an island --it should support human habitation and/or economic activity. If it did not it was a mere rock with no EEZ. The Law went on to clarify that the median line was the limit of the EEZ between two bordering maritime nations. Luckily India has a border with Thailand Indonesia Mynmar and Malaysia but not with Bangla Desh soi India's EEZ in that area is unclear. Like with Pakistan.

This aspect is what China is doing to grab EEZ in the South China Sea by building a case to seek 200 nm EEZ around islands it has silently and at times forcibly habitated like the Mischief Island of the Philippines in the Spratelys and adding historical claims as "might can become right". Philippines has a poor Navy and all it can do is call the seas around it Philippines Sea and look to the ASEAN Code of Conduct to discuss the issue with China. In the future EEZ will be wealth besides oil resources.

With countries desperate for resources, many wars have been fought and disputes arisen over island territories and economic exploitation in the EEZ. To name a few---England fought the Argintinians over the Falklands (or Marianas), they fought the Cod War with Iceland, the Japanese claim the Kuriles from Russia, the Chinese claim the Paracel and Sprately Islands in the South China Seas from Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, and Phillipines, and also dispute the Senkaku islands from the Japanese. Many disputes are simmering for years and where possible efforts are on to draw out and ratify the maritime boundary. India too should safeguard and develop the Andaman & Nicobars, because they are closer to Indonesia, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Thailand. The location and geography of the islands have given them much strategic importance. With well developed forward naval and air bases, sea control would be possible 2000kms from peninsular India. These islands can be India's Floating Air Craft Carriers.

The 570 Andaman & Nicobar islands and rocks lie in a 750 kms North-South chain covering an area of some 8200 square kilometers and contributing 30% of India's EEZ and some 35000 kms of continental shelf. Only 45 kms to the north are Myanmar's Coco Islands and to the south about 150 kms lies Sumatra or the Aceh Province of Indonesia. The two main island groups are the Andamans--which is the northerly group and the Nicobars in the south. Between the Andaman & the Nicobar islands passes the 10 degree channel while between Nicobar and Sumatra is the six degree channel. These are international shipping lanes through which about 50000 ships pass each year, with a quarter of the world trade. Calculations in 2006 showed 15 million barrels of oil pass through daily. These figures show how the islands play a vital role, commanding these shipping lanes, including the security of India's burgeoning trade & shipping. For example in 1993 India's trade with the Asean Group in SE Asia was US 2.5 billion but by 2008-09 it had grown to almost $ 50 billion. India-China trade is also rapidly growing and worth over 50 billion today.

The islands are low lying with some of the world's last rain forests. Rainfall is heavy and areas are susceptible to cyclones, tsunamis and flooding. The progress of infrastructure development has been abysmal, due to the remoteness & distance from the mainland. Fishing is largely under developed, few boats are mechanised & shore facilities are limited or non existent, even though the waters are teeming with sought after varieties of fish such as tuna, cucumbers, shellfish, crocodiles and eels. Primitive negroid and mongoloid tribal people live in demarcated areas protected by a small 'bush' police. Not even 10% of the islands are inhabited with limited units of coastguard and marine police. The total population is about 3.5 lacs, concentrated in the capital Port Blair.They live on subsidies So herein lies the challenge--- to prevent poaching by foreign trawlers, illegal immigration, gun-running & narcotics smuggling in an ecological fragile island group.

In the early 1990's Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was approached by a syndicate of Hongkong NRIs led by Hari Lielas to set up a duty free port. The suggestion emanated due to their unease and misgivings at the forthcoming takeover of Hongkong by the Chinese. The Indian bureaucracy stymied the proposal due to 'shortsighted' security concerns, which I recall I added to the file . Straddling two main East-West shipping lanes, a duty free port was a most attractive proposition-- it requires such out of box thinking to maximize our island assets-- preempt problems of security, induction of manpower and resources for development. Another worthy idea would be to 'lease ' some of these islands to Indians for tourism. There are many affluent Indians who would jump at the proposal to buy a 'real pearl in an oyster' ---an island surrounded by beautiful clean deep blue waters, silver sand beaches and a pollution free green environment--- islands in abundance lying in isolated splendor would fire their imagination!

Conventional development should include setting up of marine related industries/institutions such as fisheries and prawns culture farms, ferry & boatbuilding, jetty constructions, underwater research & diver training facilities, coral farming, seaweed cultivation, agricultural & oceanographic institutes, Space & meteorological stations and desalination plants. The abundance of exotic flora and fauna could be used to advantage promoting tourism. Finally longer term exploitation would be oil and gas exploration and seabed mining.

While the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a definite strategic military asset, the government needs to widen its horizons to include sustainable commercial development and set up industries. to turn these islands into India's showcase to the East!.This will add to India's security. IDU discussed this with a fine bureaucrat N K Singh but even he could not get MOD to open A& N islands …….No FDI is also permitted and the population love the subsidy and GOI employees get 30% extra salary and free passages ……Far Away Far Forgotten what can be a Gold Mine for India to legally rob the ASEAN countries of some wealth. (See Chart)