Mine ban policy overview

Policy

The Republic of Singapore has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty. In May 2010, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote the Monitor that “Singapore believes that humanitarian concerns pertaining to antipersonnel mines…should be balanced against the legitimate right of States to use such munitions judiciously for self defence…. We will continue to support international efforts to resolve the humanitarian concerns over antipersonnel landmines…and to work with members of the international community towards a durable and truly global solution.”[1]

In 8 December 2010, Singapore voted in favor of UN General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 65/48, calling for the universalization and full implementation of the Mine Ban Treaty, as it has in previous years. At the same time, it asserted, “Singapore firmly states 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.”[2]

In 2010, the ICBL asked political parties in Singapore to share their views on the Mine Ban Treaty. Two had responded as of May 2010. The Singapore Democratic Party said that it supports a complete ban on the manufacture and use of mines and expressed its concern over Singapore’s role in mine production. It urged the Singapore government to join the treaty.[3] The Singapore Workers’ Party said that while it shares the humanitarian concerns surrounding the use of mines, and had asked the Minister of Defense about joining the treaty,[4] it would not be issuing any public statement due to other priorities.[5] In 2009 the Workers Party required a written reply in Parliament regarding the government’s stand on the Mine Ban Treaty.[6]

Singapore sent an observer to the Tenth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in December 2010, but did not make any statements.[7]

Singapore is not party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.

Use, stockpiling, production, and transfer

A Singaporean official previously stated that the army only uses antipersonnel mines for training, but that it must retain the option to use mines for self-defense.[8] The Ministry of Defense has not replied to requests for further information about Singapore’s training program.

In March 2009, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official restated that Singapore will not disclose any information regarding its stockpile of antipersonnel mines for defense and security reasons. The official stated that Singapore maintains stringent controls on its stockpile management system and that all mines are destroyed after their expiration date.[9]

Singapore has long acknowledged that it produces antipersonnel mines, but officials have declined to reveal if production lines are currently running. Singapore Technologies Engineering (STE), through its subsidiary Singapore Technologies Kinetics, is the government-linked company that has produced antipersonnel mines.[10] In May 2010, when asked if it has halted production, STE told the Monitor that, “ST Engineering does not produce landmines and cluster munitions for export, nor are we a sub-contractor to anyone who does.”[11]

Singapore declared an indefinite moratorium on the export of all antipersonnel mines in February 1998. In May 2011, an official confirmed that the moratorium remains in place.[12]

The Republic of Singapore has not acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

In a March 2012 letter, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said that there was no update to the policy information provided in a letter to the Monitor in May 2010 and stated that the “indefinite moratorium on the export of cluster munitions has not changed.”[1] The official did not elaborate on Singapore’s position towards joining the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

In the May 2010 letter, the same official said, “Singapore believes that humanitarian concerns pertaining to anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions should be balanced against the legitimate right of States to use such munitions judiciously for self-defence…. We will continue to support international efforts to resolve the humanitarian concerns over anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions, and to work with members of the international community towards a durable and truly global solution.”[2]

Singapore has expressed concern at the way in which the Convention on Cluster Munitions was “negotiated outside of the United Nations framework into the United Nations system.”[3] Singapore participated as an observer in one meeting of the Oslo Process that created the convention.[4]

Singapore participated as an observer in the convention’s First Meeting of States Parties in Vientiane, Lao PDR in November 2010, but did not attend the Second Meeting of States Parties in Beirut, Lebanon in September 2011. Singapore participated in the first intersessional meetings of the convention in Geneva in June 2011, but did not attend intersessional meetings in April 2012.

Singapore is not a party to the Mine Ban Treaty.

Singapore is not a party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons, but attended the CCW’s Fourth Review Conference in November 2011 as an observer. Singapore did not make any statements to express its views on draft text of the proposed CCW protocol on cluster munitions. The Review Conference ended without reaching agreement on the draft protocol and with no proposals for continuing the negotiations in 2012, thus concluding the CCW’s work on cluster munitions.

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

Singapore is not known to have used cluster munitions, but it produces and stockpiles the weapon.

According to Jane’s Information Group, Advanced Material Engineering Pte Ltd., a subsidiary of Singapore Technologies Engineering, produces 155mm dual purpose improved conventional munition (DPICM) artillery projectiles, each containing 64 bomblets and equipped with electro-mechanical self-destruct fuzes.[5] The company also produces a 120mm mortar bomb that delivers 25 DPICM grenades.[6] 

Singapore received 350 CBU-71 air-delivered cluster bombs from the United States (US) at some point between 1970 and 1995.[7]

Details on the size of Singapore’s stockpile remain unknown, as the government has not chosen to disclose such information. It is not known if Singapore possesses other types of cluster munitions in addition to its domestically produced 155mm projectiles and 120mm mortar bombs, and the US-supplied cluster bombs.

In November 2008, Singapore announced that, while it did not plan to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions, it would impose an indefinite moratorium on the export of cluster munitions with immediate effect.[8] In May 2010, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official told the Monitor that the indefinite export moratorium was undertaken “to ensure that these munitions will not be transferred to other parties who might use them indiscriminately and irresponsibly.”[9]

When asked by the Monitor if it was producing cluster munitions, Singapore Technologies Engineering stated in May 2010 that, “ST Engineering does not produce cluster munitions for export, nor are we a sub-contractor to anyone who does. We are committed to work with the Singapore government and abide by the moratorium imposed by the Singapore government on the export of cluster munitions.”[10] 

In the past, companies in Singapore publicly advertised cluster munitions for sale. However, it is not known if exports actually occurred.

According to the report “Worldwide Investments in Cluster Munitions: a shared responsibility,” at least four Singaporean financial entities are involved in investments in manufacturers of cluster munitions. Singapore Technologies Engineering receives investments from at least seven US financial entities, four United Kingdom (UK) financial entities, and one each in France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Singapore and Switzerland.[11]