Asia-Pacific naval officers gather for naval warfare symposium

Senior naval officers will meet in Colombo from November 19 to 21 for the sixth annual Asia-Pacific Symposium on International Rules of Naval Warfare.

The gathering will take place at a time when concerns are being raised about possible clashes at sea and armed conflicts over disputed territorial waters, organisers say.

The symposium is also being held amidst a growing call for closer maritime cooperation in areas such as counter-piracy, border protection and interception of illegal migrant vessels.

The symposium will focus on the law of naval warfare (IHL) including the specific traits of humanitarian action at sea and issues related to it, as well as the legal framework within which maritime operations can be conducted. Additionally, participants will be able to share their experiences on responses to various maritime issues above and under water and look to the future.

Jointly organised by the Sri Lanka Navy and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the symposium will meet a dual objective of establishing an operational dialogue between participating countries and the ICRC on maritime issues and how to respond to them and build capacity of naval forces in the Asia Pacific on the principles of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) at sea.

Around 26 naval officers from captains to commanders will attend the symposium. They will be from Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Timor East, USA, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.