Name ‘Indian Ocean’ a misnomer?

by A. Denis N. Fernando

(August 1, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) In the context of the Indians politicians and top personalities making provocative statements that the Indian Ocean is under their purview is similar to the aspiration propagated by S. J. V. Chelvanayagam and the TULF to create a state called Eelam, based on falsehoods and the so-called concept of ‘Traditional Homelands’.

It is therefore necessary to name the Indian Ocean as the Asiatic Ocean to dispel any falsehoods, historical or otherwise, in the context of the UN Law of the Sea, which is applicable to over 40 sovereign states who have their own exclusive economic zones and thus has ownership rights to it. Thus the Indian sea proper only forms a small part of it. It is ridiculous for Indians to have a monopoly right over this vast expanse of ocean straddling West Asia to the Straits of Malacca/Australia, which is not only an important trade route, but which also encompasses a vast amount of strategic fossil fuel deposits.

At this stage it is necessary to enumerate how such Indian aspirations were postulated. A. M. Panikkar over half a century ago propounded the theory that "The Indian ocean must truly remain Indian". Subsequently we have had important Indian personalities mouthing the same slogan.

The came K. C. Pant, the former Minister of Defence of India, stating that: "India and Sri Lanka straddle one of the most important sea lanes in the world and hence we must be prepared to shoulder our share of responsibility". It was clearly a ploy to draw Sri Lanka into a contentious position, with over 40 states having legal rights to the so-called ‘Indian Ocean’.

This was followed by Admiral P. S. Das stressing on the importance of Indian security. He said that: "east-west shipping routes that transit south of Sri Lanka should be secured for India’ s security", not caring a damn for the security of other states, which had a legal right to the Indian Ocean.

Amplifying the propositions of Panikkar and Pant, we have the author of the book on naval defence of India expressing the view: "even if we do not rule the waves of all five oceans in the world, we must at least rule the waves of the Indian Ocean". Another Admiral, Prakash, in 2005 observes that as "India aspires to a central position in the world, we must have a navy commensurate to this need."

Dr. Subramanium Swamy, the leader of the Janatha Party in his book has made the cheeky suggestion that "India and Sri Lanka should integrate either by confederating like Europe or like the outright merger as was the case with Sikkim". It would outrageous that India wants to absorb Sri Lanka like the Hindus absorbing folk religions as stated by Dr. S. Radhakrisnan in his book "Hindu view of life". Finally to quote the former President of India, Dr. Abdul Kalaam: "The imperatives of Indian strategy is to mainly control the Indian Ocean". (Extracted from from Navy commander Vice Admiral Karannagoda’s address as retold by Kokila in The Island of Monday 9th June, 2008)

In this connection I have indicated a map of the evolution of the Indian Ocean up to the time of the UN LAW of the Sea. This is endorsed by my presentation to the Royal Asiatic Society in 1989 titled "The Erythrean Sea presently called the Indian ocean requires a new identity", and published in the RAS Journal New Series Volume 1989, which could be referred to for details.

When I was a participant at the 1990 IOMAC Conference in Tanzania, the map on the evolution of the Indian Ocean as depicted in cartography was presented to all participants by the IOMAC Secretariat and was greatly appreciated. It contained inset maps of Gondwanaland by Wagenar in 1912, the Erythrean Sea in Herodotus’ Map of the World 450 B.C. that indicated the outpost of Eastern Ethiopians on the right bank of the Indus in present Pakistan, the Erythrean Sea by Eratostenes of 220 B.C. indicating Taprobane (as Sri Lanka was then called) at the eastern end of the Erythrean Sea, Ptolemys’s geography indicating Asia 150 AD, where Taprobane is also indicated, the boundaries of the Indian Ocean and seas according to the International Hydrographic Office of Manoce, which is now obsolete, the inset map of the Indian Ocean region and other states indicating their exclusive economic zones within the Indian Ocean. In addition, the main map of the Physiographic Map of World Ocean Floor by Bruce Heezan and Mario Thrap is also indicated.

As the Indian Sea forms only a small part of the would-be Asiatic (Indian) Ocean, India should not attempt to encroach on the legal rights of other sovereign states to the same ocean.

( The Writer, Fellow National Academy of Services of Sri Lanka and former President of the Royal Asiatic Society.)
- Sri Lanka Guardian