” VERY SERIOUSLY ,” GOVERNMENT TAKES ALLEGATIONS.
Dr. Balakrishnan stated in his written response that the update would only be temporary due to the ongoing investigations and that he & nbsp was asking the MPs for their input.
There were no evidence that specific weapons were being transferred to the Myanmar military in the UN report, he added, adding that the government was looking into certain details of the alleged” hands and related products” that were shipped to it through Singapore-based companies. & nbsp,
Instead, he claimed that only spare parts and equipment fell under the category of” arms ,” with no explanation of what these made up.
” Dual – use products” were among the other significant groups of items covered in the report, along with computers, electronic components, and medical products. Additionally,” production equipment ,” which covered things like steel beams and aluminum ingots as well as pipes and valves, was listed. This equipment also included welding supplies and overhead crane.
Members would understand from these descriptions that the items do not always qualify as” arms” or” weaponry” in the traditional sense, he said. Many of them, including computers and clinical supplies, are also out of control. It is challenging to separate particular cautious deals from quite broad categories.
According to Dr. Balakrishnan, the government takes the report” quite really” and has asked Mr. Andrews to provide specific and credible evidence to support efforts.
Nine of the identified institutions, according to him, are no longer recognized by Singapore’s Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, making it impossible for them to conduct business or conduct legitimate business there.
According to Dr. Balakrishnan,” this includes entities that were supposedly involved in the exchange of parts and spare parts for fighter aircraft, products for the Myanmar Navy, as well as radios, study, and electronic warfare equipment.”
He continued by saying that the majority of the 47 companies that were originally identified no longer have business relationships with Singaporean lenders.
According to him,” The lenders will evaluate the remaining accounts and take appropriate action, including increased investigation, to ensure that these entities’ transactions are not suspicious.” Such actions may make it harder for them to carry on with any undesired business.
Dr. Balakrishnan added that because Myanmar is on the Financial Action Task Force’s list, financial institutions in Singapore have also been exercising increased due diligence for buyers and transactions associated with Myanmar that pose higher risks.
He noted that this includes the time frame mentioned in Mr. Andrews’ report, which is between February 2021 and December 2022, and said,” I would like to re-state flatly that the Singapore government has no conducted any military revenue to the Myanmar government in recent years.”
In fact, Mr. Andrews himself stated in his report that” there are no signs that the Singaporean government has approved or is involved in the sale of arms and related materials to the Myanmar military.”
The government may” continue to work closely and constructively with Mr. Andrews to find certain, verifiable, and where possible judge admissible data to improve our investigations ,” Dr. Balakrishnan continued.
He continued,” Let me reiterate that the government is still committed to carrying out our plan to stop the transfer of weapons and dual-use goods to Myanmar, where there is a significant chance that they could be used to harm unarmed civilians.”
” We will not be hesitant to take action against any person or thing that violates this.”