Thimphu joins other member states in their fight against terrorism, transnational organized crime and illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs
New Delhi: In a welcoming development for India, Bhutan’s National Assembly (NA) has adopted the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Convention on cooperation in international terrorism, transnational organized crime, and illicit drug trafficking.
The land of the thunder dragon was the last state, from the seven-member union, to have supported the ratification at the convention during the 12th BIMSTEC ministerial meeting held in December 2009.
“The convention is crucial in countering terrorism in seven BIMSTEC member countries and has been ratified by all except Bhutan,” Foreign Minister, Dr. Tandi Dorji said while adding that his country will proactively cooperate with the other member states in their fight against terrorism, transnational organized crime and illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
At the last week’s voting in Thimphu, of the 42 members present during the discussion in the NA, 41 voted for the ratification.
Apart from cooperation, the member states will also be sharing information on the activities of individuals and criminal groups engaged in planning, promoting or executing acts of international terrorism, transnational organized crimes, and illicit drug trafficking.
The BIMSTEC countries have also agreed to exchange intel inputs on the associates of the criminals including those providing front or cover to such individuals or groups as well as those which may operate from or use the territory of a member state for this purpose.
Individual Extradition Treaties
India has extradition treaties with three-member countries – Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka. New Delhi signed an extradition treaty with Kathmandu in 1953, which came into force in 1963. The one with Colombo became operative from September 1978, while with Thimphu it was signed in 1996.
While cooperation and intel exchange was readily agreed by Bhutanese lawmakers, some representatives expressed their concerns over the extradition of criminals within the other member states, other than India.
According to the Ugyen Wangdi, a Bhutanese Member of Parliament, they are more comfortable to have separate extradition agreements with different countries.
“Bhutan only has an extradition agreement with India. Thus, accepting the convention means allowing extradition. This will not be convenient for other states,” Wangdi said, who added that the government is now studying any possible drawbacks of signing individual extradition treaties with the other five countries.
While lawmakers like Wangdi wanted the government to adopt a more cautious approach on this issue, Foreign Minister Dorji said the government does not see any probable harm in going ahead with the extradition agreement.
“We will have to amend the Extradition Act 1991, according to the Office of the Attorney General. The government does not see any problems arising in signing extradition agreement with the other five member states if it is deemed necessary. As of now, we do not share diplomatic ties with a lot of countries. Thus, it is important for Bhutan to sign regional agreements like SAARC and BIMSTEC,” Dorji said.
Concern of Capacity and National Security
While Bhutan’s move to cooperate with BIMSTEC nations is looked upon as a carefully calibrated one, officials on sidelines of the signing expressed concerns on national security and Thimphu’s capacity to join the big leagues.
“The cooperation is like a door, and a door opens both ways. The disadvantage is that the government will start receiving several requests for information exchange, intel support and also expecting relative action on the same,” an officer said while claiming that the country lacks capacity, technology, and expertise on such subjects.
Even in the NA, members of the House had drawn attention to the sharing information causing nodus to the national security. Upon which, Dorji was quoted saying that the government will not share any details on the security of the country.
BIMSTEC – PM Modi’s Neighbourhood First Policy
India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, shifted its diplomatic outreach from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to BIMSTEC.
Prime Minister Modi not only hosted an outreach summit with BIMSTEC leaders on the sidelines the BRICS summit in Goa in 2016 but had also invited the leaders of the member states for his swearing-in ceremony for the second term in May 2019.
The circumspectly planned move was made to clearly isolate Pakistan, without really losing on key neighboring states like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Nepal. Also, since its inception in 1997, BIMSTEC has hardly achieved any grounds, and thus PM Modi eyes to reverse this trend by bringing in a significant improvement in its economic engagement within the region, before his term concludes.
