The Republic of Singapore has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty. In February 2006, Singapore told Landmine Monitor that its policy toward the mine ban “remained unchanged.”[1]
Nevertheless, Singapore has consistently voted in favor of annual UN General Assembly resolutions calling for universalization and full implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty, including UNGA Resolution 60/80 on 8 December 2005. In explaining its vote, Singapore stated, “Singapore supports and will continue to support all initiatives against the indiscriminate use of anti-personnel landmines.... At the same time, like several other countries, Singapore firmly believes that the legitimate security concerns and the right to self-defence of any state cannot be disregarded. A blanket ban on all types of anti-personnel landmines might therefore be counter-productive. Singapore supports international efforts to resolve the humanitarian concerns over anti-personnel landmines. We will continue to work with members of the international community towards finding a durable and truly global solution.”[2]
Singapore attended as an observer the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in November-December 2005 in Zagreb, Croatia.[3] It did not participate in the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva in June 2005 or May 2006. Singapore is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons or its Amended Protocol II on landmines.
In November 2005, the government of Canada undertook a mission to Singapore aimed at encouraging accession to the Mine Ban Treaty. The delegation was headed by retired General Maurice Baril, former head of Canadian Armed Forces and now an advisor on mine action.
The ICBL’s Diplomatic Advisor, retired Indian Ambassador Satnam Jit Singh, conducted a special advocacy mission to Singapore in July 2005. He met with a deputy director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the positive steps Singapore could take towards joining the Mine Ban Treaty. Singapore declined ICBL’s request for meetings with the Minister of Defense and other military officials. The ICBL’s Landmine Monitor researcher visited Singapore in March 2006 and also met with a deputy director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Singapore has confirmed several times that Singapore Technologies Kinetics (STK), a government-linked company, produces antipersonnel mines.[4] Singapore is known to have produced two types of antipersonnel mine, a plastic blast mine (VS-50) and a bounding fragmentation mine (VS-69), both copies of Italian designs.
When asked in an interview with Landmine Monitor if Singapore was actively producing antipersonnel mines in 2005 and 2006, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said, “I cannot tell you if we are producing or not. Read between the lines. But look, are we laying mines? Singapore is a small nation. How much can we keep? And it’s not like the mines expire like milk.” He also said Singapore “would rather reserve the right to produce” antipersonnel mines for “legitimate security reasons.”[5]
In 2002, the Norwegian Petroleum Fund, which is controlled by the government of Norway, divested from Singapore Technologies Kinetics in order to comply with the Mine Ban Treaty obligation not to assist in any way with an act prohibited by the treaty.[6] When asked about the impact of foreign divestment from STK, the Foreign Affairs official said, “That is an economic question,” and he would rather not comment on it.[7]
Singapore, a past exporter of antipersonnel mines, declared an indefinite moratorium on the export of all types of antipersonnel mine in February 1998.[8] Landmine Monitor has not received any allegation of mine exports since that time.
Information about the size or composition of Singapore’s current stockpile of antipersonnel mines remains unavailable.[9] When asked if Singapore would voluntarily give information on stockpiles in the spirit of transparency and international confidence-building, an official replied, “We are not ready to share this information.”[10]
[1] Email from Ong Soo Chuan, Assistant Director, International Organizations Directorate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2 February 2006.
[2] “Singapore’s Explanation of Vote on Resolution L. 56,” (undated, but 28 October 2005). The remarks were made after the vote on the resolution in the UNGA First Committee.
[3] Ji Tong Foo, Staff Officer, Singapore Armed Forces, participated in the meeting.
[4] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to the visiting Canadian delegation in November 2005 that Singapore was still producing mines. In June 2004, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that “Singapore continues to exercise strict control over the production of landmines in Singapore. STK remains the only company in Singapore that produces landmines. Antipersonnel landmines produced in Singapore are used solely by Singapore’s armed forces for self-defense purposes.” Letter from Tan Yee Woan, Director, International Organizations Directorate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 14 June 2004.
[5] Interview with Paul Koh Kok Hong, Deputy Director, International Organizations Directorate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, 6 March 2006.
[6] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 645.
[7] Interview with Paul Koh Kok Hong, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, 6 March 2006.
[8] For information on Singapore’s mine exports in the past, see Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 1110.
[9] In December 2000, a Ministry of Defense representative stated that the Ministry stockpiles a number of antipersonnel mines for “training and defensive purposes only.” Letter from Eric Chong, Ministry of Defense, 15 December 2000.
[10] Interview with Paul Koh Kok Hong, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, 6 March 2006.