After Asean drill, India & Thailand team up for patrol | India News

NEW DELHI: After the first Asean-India naval exercise in the contentious South China Sea, which riled China to no end, India has now conducted a bilateral maritime coordinated patrol (Corpat) with Thailand in the Andaman Sea. It saw the two navies deploying warships and maritime patrol aircraft along the international maritime boundary line in the Andaman Sea from May 3 to 10.
“Towards reinforcing bilateral maritime linkages and with an aim of keeping this vital part of the Indian Ocean safe, the Indian and Royal Thai navies have been undertaking this patrol bi-annually since 2005,” an officer said. The Corpat builds understanding and military interoperability, and facilitates instituting measures to prevent unlawful activities like illegal fishing and drug trafficking. “It also helps boost operational synergy by exchanging information for the prevention of smuggling, illegal immigration and for search and rescue operations,” the officer added.
The Navy has been “proactively engaging” with countries in the Indian Ocean region to enhance security as part of the government’s vision of SAGAR (security and growth for all in the region).