SLNS Gajabahu prepares to depart Colombo for the BIMSTEC exercise on 25 October. Photograph: Sri Lanka Navy
A Sri Lankan Navy ship has sailed for India to take part in the first maritime security exercise held by the BIMSTEC regional grouping, the latest in a series of military exchanges between Sri Lanka and India this month.
SLNS Gajabahu left the port of Colombo on 25 October, the Sri Lanka Navy said . The exercise, scheduled from 30 October to 3 November and hosted at Port Blair in India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands, brings together naval forces and coastguards from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, the member states of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation.
According to the navy, the exercise aims to enhance maritime domain awareness, build operational coordination across the Bay of Bengal and strengthen regional security cooperation. The ship, commanded by Captain Ashoka Weerasekara, was seen off by the navy's Director General Operations, Rear Admiral Chaminda Karunasena.
Sri Lankan naval personnel at the ship's departure from Colombo. Photograph: Sri Lanka Navy
The deployment comes as Sri Lanka expands its military cooperation with India. A Sri Lankan Army artillery delegation is training in India , while three Indian Navy training ships arrived in Colombo on 26 October on a formal visit. Last year, the Indian Navy chief met Sri Lankan commanders in Colombo amid a push for closer naval ties.
A senior Sri Lankan naval commander has admitted that the Indian Navy assisted in destroying LTTE supply ships during the final phase of the armed conflict, which culminated in the Mullivaikkal genocide in 2009. The Sri Lankan Navy has itself been accused of grave abuses against Tamils, including the 1985 Kumuthini boat massacre .
The commanding officer of SLNS Gajabahu, Captain Ashoka Weerasekara, presents a memento to Rear Admiral Chaminda Karunasena. Photograph: Sri Lanka Navy
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