LM Report 2001

Full Report   Executive Summary   Translations   Major Findings   Key Developments   Print   Maps

	Table of Contents
	Select a chapter ... About LM 2001 Introduction Africa Americas Asia-Pacific Europe/Central Asia Middle East/North Africa ICBL Appendices Exec. Summary Maps
	Select a country ... -STATES PARTIES- Australia Bangladesh Cambodia Fiji Japan Kiribati Malaysia Maldives Nauru New Zealand Niue Philippines Samoa Solomon Islands Thailand -SIGNATORIES- Brunei Darussalam Cook Islands Indonesia Marshall Islands Vanuatu -NON-SIGNATORIES- Afghanistan Bhutan Burma (Myanmar) China India DPR Korea Rep. of Korea Lao PDR Fed. Stat. of Micronesia Mongolia Nepal Pakistan Palau Papua New Guinea Singapore Sri Lanka Tonga Tuvalu Vietnam -OTHER- East Timor Taiwan

SINGAPORE

Key developments since May 2000: The Ministry of Defense acknowledges that Singapore continues to produce antipersonnel mines, and asserts that it has a stockpile “for training and defensive purposes only.”

Mine Ban Policy

The Republic of Singapore has not acceded to the Mine Ban Treaty. It believes that a “blanket ban on all types of anti-personnel landmines might be counterproductive since some countries need to use anti-personnel landmines for their defence and security.”^[1] While there has been no policy change since this statement was made in November 1999, the Ministry of Defense told Landmine Monitor that Singapore is reserving the right to use antipersonnel mines until an alternative is found.^[2] In July 2001, Singapore’s Ambassador to the United States said, “We do not condone the indiscriminate use of APLs, especially against civilians. However, we believe that the legitimate security concerns and right of self-defence of states cannot be disregarded.”^[3]

Singapore sent a representative from the Ministry of Defense to the Second Meeting of States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty in September 2000. It has voted in favor of all pro-ban UN General Assembly resolutions since 1996, including Resolution 55/33V in November 2000. It has not attended the Mine Ban Treaty intersessional meetings in Geneva, including those in December 2000 and May 2001. While it is not a State Party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW), Singapore sent an observer to the CCW’s Amended Protocol II Annual Conference in December 2000.

A Campaign to Ban Landmines was launched in Singapore on 16 June 2001, with a week of activities organized by The Think Centre in cooperation with the Bangkok-based Nonviolence International. Activities included a press conference, videos, a special website with photo essays, and a public opinion poll in which 90% of the respondents supported accession to the Mine Ban Treaty.^[4] Earlier, in November 2000, the Singapore Institute of International Affairs invited the ICBL Ambassador, Tun Channareth, to speak at the National University of Singapore Undergraduate Seminar on Regional Affairs. He called on Singapore to join the Mine Ban Treaty and his visit was reported in The Strait Times, Singapore’s main English language newspaper.^[5]

Production, Transfer, Stockpiling and Use

According to the Ministry of Defense, Singapore Technologies Kinetics Ltd. is the only company in Singapore that produces antipersonnel landmines.^[6] These are a plastic mine (VS-50) and a bounding mine (VS-69).^[7] Low-level production of these mines continues.^[8] At least several million have already been produced.^[9]

Landmine Monitor found no evidence of Singapore exporting antipersonnel landmines since the government proclaimed a moratorium on the export of all types of antipersonnel mines for an indefinite period in February 1998. According to the Ministry of Defense the export ban covers all transfers of mines, including for military aid or for training purposes.^[10]

In a 16 July 2001 letter to Landmine Monitor, the Ambassador of Singapore to the United States said, “ST Kinetics is the only company in Singapore that produces APLs. The APLs produced are meant solely for use by our armed forces for self-defence purposes only. ST Kinetics does not export APLs as Singapore had, since Feb 1998, declared an indefinite moratorium on the export of all types of APLs.”^[11]

In December 2000, a Ministry of Defense representative stated that the Ministry of Defense retains a number of antipersonnel mines for “training and defensive purposes only.” He noted, “Such training for APLs and removal techniques is done in Singapore.”^[12] The number of mines in stockpile is not known.

Singapore Technologies Kinetics Limited is carrying out ongoing destruction of expired antipersonnel mines by demolition, on behalf of the Ministry of Defense.^[13]

Mine Action

Singapore is not mine-affected and Landmine Monitor has not recorded any landmine victims residing in Singapore. It does not appear that Singapore has contributed in any way to international humanitarian mine action programs. In May 2000, the government said that it was considering the most useful way it could contribute.

^[1] Singapore’s explanation of vote on UNGA Resolution A/C.1/55/L.44, 8 November 1999.
^[2] Interview with Andrew Tan, Policy Director, Ministry of Defense, Singapore, 29 March 2001.
^[3] Letter from Amb. Chan Heng Chee, Singapore Ambassador to the United States, to Mary Wareham, Coordinator, Landmine Monitor, 16 July 2001.
^[4] See The Think Centre’s website at www.thinkcentre.org.
^[5] Jack Hee, “Landmine victim pushes for ban,” The Straits Times, 29 November 2000.
^[6] Letter from Eric Chong, Singapore Ministry of Defense, 15 December 2000 and interview with Andrew Tan, Policy Director, Ministry of Defense, Singapore, 29 March 2001.
^[7] Singapore Technologies product brochures, “Mine, Anti-Personnel, Jumping, VS-69” and “Mine, Anti-Personnel, Scatterable, VS-50.” Undated but distributed at an arms exhibition in 1997.
^[8] Telephone interview with Prasun Sengupta, Special Projects Editor, Asia Defence Journal, Malaysia, 8 July 2000.
^[9] Stephen Askin and Stephen Goose, "The Market for Anti-Personnel Landmines-A Global Survey," Jane's Intelligence Review, 1 September 1994, p. 425.
^[10] Interview with Andrew Tan, Policy Director, Ministry of Defence, Singapore, 29 March 2001.
^[11] Letter from Amb. Chan Heng Chee, Singapore Ambassador to the United States, to Mary Wareham, Coordinator, Landmine Monitor, 16 July 2001.
^[12] Letter from Eric Chong, Ministry of Defense, 15 December 2000. The language would imply training in both how to use mines and how to clear them.
^[13] Interview with Andrew Tan, Policy Director, Ministry of Defense, Singapore, 29 March 2001. Email from Andrew Tan, Policy Director, Ministry of Defense, Singapore, 12 April 2001.

<Previous | Next>