Singapore on Monday demanded the immediate return of nine armoured troop carriers impounded by Hong Kong while in transit from Taiwan, calling the seizure illegal under international law.
The November seizure of the Terrex vehicles by Hong Kong customs has triggered a row also involving China, which has sovereignty over Hong Kong and considers Taiwan a renegade island awaiting reunification.
The vehicles were being shipped home from military exercises in Taiwan, where land-starved Singapore has for decades trained its troops.
Following the seizure China lodged a diplomatic protest with Singapore over its military cooperation with the island.
Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said Singapore had repeatedly told the Hong Kong government that the vehicles and other equipment “belong to the government of Singapore and are therefore immune from any measures of constraint.
“Accordingly we have requested the Hong Kong authorities to return our property immediately,” he told parliament.
The vehicles are protected by sovereign immunity even if shipped by commercial carriers, Ng said.
“They cannot legally be detained or confiscated by other countries.”
Ng said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had written to Hong Kong Chief Executive C.Y. Leung on the issue, and Hong Kong authorities had replied that the investigation would take time.
Hong Kong seized a total of 12 containers, saying they carried “suspected controlled items”.
The Singapore military has reviewed its shipping procedures to ensure its equipment will not be “taken hostage en route” in the future, Ng added.
Ties between China and Singapore are already strained over Singapore’s perceived support for Southeast Asian nations disputing China’s extensive territorial claims in the South China Sea.
A 1974 agreement allows Singaporean troops to train in Taiwan alongside Taipei’s forces, and it sends up to 15,000 troops a year to the island.
Hong Kong is semi-autonomous after being handed back by Britain to China in 1997 and enjoys freedoms unseen on the mainland, but there are increasing fears over Beijing’s interference. China controls foreign affairs issues under the 1997 agreement.
Call for caution
In response to Dr Ng’s remarks, China has warned Singapore to watch their words and remain calm regarding the matter — effectively assuring that they’re not that easily pressured.
“I hope the relevant parties can be cautious in their remarks and actions,” foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a press conference in Beijing, as quoted by Shanghaiist.
“I want to stress that China hopes other nations, including Singapore, follow the one-China principle. This is the foundation for bilateral ties between China and any other nation. I hope the relevant parties can follow the laws of Hong Kong, China.”
Additional reporting by Coconuts Singapore
