Singaporeans fined for sonar system sale to Myanmar Navy amidst investigations into arms trade

On 3 July this year, Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan confirmed that 138 Singapore-based entities have been identified as participants in the supply chain to Myanmar’s military as investigations continue.

Minister Balakrishnan provided these responses in a written answer to Parliamentary Questions submitted by Workers’ Party Member of Parliament (MP) Dennis Tan and PAP MP Vikram Nair over the report published on 17 May by Tom Andrews, the United Nations Special Rapporteur in Myanmar, which alleged implication of Singapore companies or entities based in Singapore in the sales of dual-use items, raw materials, and spare parts with military-related uses.

Minister Balakrishnan revealed that an additional 91 entities were identified for involvement in supplying Myanmar’s military.

These findings supplement the initial list of 47 entities recently named by the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Myanmar.

Nine of the identified entities are no longer registered with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, rendering them unable to operate as legal entities or conduct business in Singapore.

Entities suspected of facilitating transfers, including fighter aircraft parts and naval equipment, to Myanmar

Among these entities are those allegedly engaged in the transfer of components, spare parts for fighter aircraft, equipment for the Myanmar Navy, as well as radios, research, and equipment for electronic warfare.

Regarding the initial list of 47 entities, Minister Balakrishnan clarified that most of them no longer maintain business relationships with Singapore banks.

However, the remaining accounts will undergo review by the banks, which will implement appropriate measures, including enhanced scrutiny, to ensure that transactions processed by these entities are not suspicious.

Minister Balakrishnan assured that as Myanmar is on the Financial Action Task Force’s blacklist, financial institutions in Singapore have implemented enhanced due diligence for customers and transactions linked to Myanmar, which present higher risks.

OHCHR report shed light on the crucial role of Singapore

The comprehensive report, titled “The Billion Dollar Death Trade: International Arms Networks that Enable Human Rights Violations in Myanmar,” provides evidence that Myanmar’s military has imported at least $1 billion USD worth of arms and raw materials for the manufacturing of weapons.

The brutal attack on Pazigyi Village in the Sagaing Region on 11 April 2023, which resulted in the death of approximately 170 people, including 40 children, is a chilling testament to the devastating impact of unrestricted arms trade with the Myanmar military.

The report highlighted that entities in Singapore are critical to the operation of Myanmar’s Directorate of Defense Industries’ weapons factories (commonly referred to as KaPaSa, the Burmese acronym for DDI).

Singapore is named in the report as a significant jurisdiction for the transit of spare parts, raw materials, and manufacturing equipment.

Between February 2021 and December 2022, US$254 million worth of supplies were dispatched from various Singaporean entities to the Myanmar military, often involving Singaporean banks.

MFA previously denied Singapore’s involvement in arms trade with Myanmar

The Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) responded emphatically to these claims in May, insisting that it prohibits the transfer of arms and dual-use items to Myanmar, and has not been involved in the shipment of arms and related materials to the Myanmar military.

The MFA Spokesperson stated: “UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews noted in his report that the Singapore Government prohibits the transfer of arms to Myanmar. ”

“There are no indications the Government of Singapore has approved or is involved in, the shipment of arms and associated materials to the Myanmar military.”

The MFA Spokesperson reiterated Singapore’s principled stance against the Myanmar military’s use of lethal force against unarmed civilians, and highlighted its commitment to preventing the flow of arms into Myanmar as per United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution A/RES/75/287 “The Situation in Myanmar”.

The spokesperson also noted that MFA appreciates the Special Rapporteur’s efforts to provide information to aid Singapore’s investigations into whether any offences were committed under Singapore law.

The Singapore government has previously voiced its policy to “prohibit the transfer of arms to Myanmar” and has pledged not to approve the transfer of dual-use items that could potentially have military applications in Myanmar.