The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Singapore stated on Wednesday that the transfer of arms or "items having possible military use" to Myanmar is not authorized.
A spokesperson noted that there is a significant possibility that such products might be utilized to inflict violence on unarmed civilians.
The ministry was responding to a report issued by the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M) on Monday, which stated that Singapore serves as a "strategic transit hub for potentially significant volumes of items" - including raw materials - that "fuel" Myanmar's weapon development.
In addition to Austria, France, China, India, Israel, Ukraine, Germany, Taiwan, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the United States, the report identifies Austria, France, China, India, Israel, Ukraine, Germany, Taiwan, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the United States as hosting companies that supply materials to a Myanmar state-owned entity producing military weapons.
Myanmar's army or junta seized control in February 2021, and since then, the nation has been plagued by bloodshed between soldiers and anti-coup insurgents. According to local monitoring organizations, at than 2,000 people have been slain in repression of opposition.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) stated that Singapore was examining the report's contents. The SAC-M is composed of independent experts and retired United Nations (UN) officials.
In response to CNA's questions, a ministry official stated, "Preliminarily, we observe that many of the accusations referring to Singapore pertain to commercial operations predating the February 2021 military coup."
MFA stated that Singapore's June 2021 vote in favor of a UN General Assembly resolution to prohibit the transfer of armaments into Myanmar was "a matter of public record."
The ministry stated, "This is in addition to our rigorous compliance with international duties regarding international arms sales and transfers, as well as UN sanctions and embargoes against any country."
According to the SAC-M investigation, Singaporean firms were brokering agreements and exporting things to the Directorate of Defence Industries (DDI), a state-owned organization that manufactures military equipment for Myanmar, or to affiliated civilian front companies.
Heavy machine guns "originally developed and manufactured" by Chartered Industries of Singapore, a business founded in 1967 to manufacture ammunition and later bought by ST Kinetics, are presently being produced at DDI factories, according to the study.
SAC-M noted in its assessment, "Although there is limited public information on commercial activity between ST Kinetics and the DDI, a source claims that ST Kinetics continues to sell unidentified equipment to Myanmar via a reseller in Thailand."
Wednesday, however, MFA emphasized that Singapore notifies international arms shipments to the UN Register of Conventional Arms (UNROCA). The filings are open to the public and demonstrate that Myanmar has not received any transfers from Singapore, according to the ministry.
It said that Singapore has a "strong" export control mechanism, with routinely updated restriction lists that are aligned with international commitments and obligations and applicable non-proliferation regimes.
MFA stated, "We will not hesitate to take action against anyone who violate our laws."
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