SAF armoured vehicles(Terrex) detained in Hong Kong port - Page 4

comm · #46 29-11-2016, 02:12 PM

China as a country is making the apporiate moves to expand their influence and push forward their national interest(s)

We in singapore will through some rough times as long as our foreign policy is against china. While we claim to be protecting and acting in our own interests......however the steps that china take to isolate and punish us as an example to the other nations....will definately weaken us, probably permanantly, and the flow of economic activity from china will be re-route to those countries that support china as the new overlord of this region.

skyleon · #47 29-11-2016, 02:40 PM

SAF vehicle seizure: Shipping firm APL had used Hong Kong as transit point without issues, says Army Chief
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Published 1 hour ago

Royston Sim

Assistant Political Editor

SINGAPORE - The shipping firm that transported the nine Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) armoured vehicles which were seized in Hong Kong last week had previously used the city as a transit point without encountering any issues, said Singapore's Army Chief on Tuesday (Nov 29).

Major-General Melvyn Ong said the SAF has engaged APL to transport military equipment since the 1990s. It also uses other shipping firms.

Hong Kong Customs officials had seized the nine Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicles and related equipment from an APL container ship last Wednesday (Nov 23). The vessel was bound for Singapore after a military exercise in Taiwan.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event to test the Aerostat system - a radar-equipped balloon - on Tuesday, Maj-Gen Ong said Hong Kong is a common international port of call used by many military forces. There was "nothing unnatural" in APL using Hong Kong as a transit point, he said.

On Saturday, a report by Hong Kong's FactWire news agency said the APL container ship had docked in Xiamen in mainland China before transiting in Hong Kong.

continue reading here : http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...without-issues

skyleon · #48 29-11-2016, 02:48 PM

SAF vehicle seizure: Singapore will not allow any single issue to hijack ties with China, says Vivian Balakrishnan

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Published 3 hours ago

Updated 1 hour ago

Lim Yan Liang

Annabeth Leow

SINGAPORE - Singapore will not allow any single issue to hijack its longstanding, wide-ranging relationship with China, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan said on Tuesday (Nov 29).

Dr Balakrishnan, the keynote speaker at The Straits Times Global Outlook Forum, was responding to questions about recent frictions in Singapore-China ties, including last week's seizure of nine Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) armoured vehicles by the Customs authorities in Hong Kong.

Senior officials on both sides understand that the relationship is "longstanding, multi-faceted, mutually beneficial" and will not allow any single issue to hijack it, he said at the forum at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

Dr Balakrishnan added: "I wouldn't overreact to that... we expect commercial providers of services to strictly comply with the law.

"It will be a footnote on how to do things strictly, carefully and by the law. It's not a strategic incident."

Last Wednesday (Nov 23), Hong Kong Customs officials seized the SAF Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicles and related equipment that were on board a container ship belonging to shipping firm APL. The SAF vehicles were bound for Singapore after a military exercise in Taiwan.

The SAF conducts overseas training in a dozen or so territories and hires commercial shippers to transport military equipment to and from Singapore.

A spokesman for Hong Kong's Customs and Excise Department had told The Straits Times that "suspected controlled items" were found on board the vessel during a search.

On Monday, China said it has made representations to Singapore voicing unhappiness over the incident.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular media briefing in Beijing that Singapore should "strictly abide by the laws of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), and cooperate with the SAR government on all necessary follow-ups".

He said:"The Chinese government has always firmly opposed countries that have diplomatic ties with China to have any form of official exchanges with Taiwan, including military exchanges and cooperation.

"We asked that the Singapore Government strictly abide by the one-China principle," he added.

At the forum, Dr Balakrishnan said Singapore has believed in the One-China policy since it established diplomatic relations with China 25 years ago and this has not changed.

He said: "If you are truly close, there will be things you disagree about from time to time.

"Fortunately or unfortunately for Singapore, we are very transparent, we call a spade a spade. It doesn't mean we are shifting our position or deliberately trying to poke people in the eye."

Replying to a question from the audience about how Singapore will respond to the Chinese Foreign Ministry's remarks that the Republic should adhere strictly to the One-China policy, Dr Balakrishnan said Singapore does not conduct foreign policy by reflex.

continue reading here : http://www.straitstimes.com/politics...ies-with-china

The Chinese government starting to show its power to the Singapore government . Really Singapore should get its foreign policy straight .

skyleon · #49 29-11-2016, 02:55 PM

Singapore troop carriers should be 'melted down': The Global Times

Published: 12:54 PM, November 29, 2016

Updated: 2:24 PM, November 29, 2016

BEIJING — Armoured troop carriers belonging to Singapore and currently impounded in Hong Kong should be "melted down", China's influential state-run tabloid the Global Times said on Tuesday (Nov 29), in its second swipe at the island nation in two days.

The nine troop carriers were impounded in Hong Kong last week en route back from Taiwan, sparking a rebuke to Singapore from China about maintaining military ties with self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing considers a breakaway province.

Ties between China and Singapore have been strained in recent months, particularly over the disputed South China Sea, where Beijing, which claims most of the waters, suspects Singapore of siding with the United States.

Beijing has accused Washington of deliberately creating tension by sailing its ships close to China's islands.

The Global Times, published by the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily, blasted Singapore's "carelessness" with the armoured vehicles, which it said reflected a failure to take seriously China's displeasure over its military relationship with Taiwan.

"Singapore's image in China is now so rotten that ordinary Chinese people think the best thing to do with the 'confiscated' armoured vehicles that 'walked right into our trap' is to send them to the steel mills to be melted down," it said.

The editorial, published in the paper's Chinese language edition, whose website attracts millions of visitors every day, adopts a similarly strident tone to a Monday commentary in its much less read English edition, accusing Singapore of "hypocrisy".

Singapore should use this "interlude" in its relations with China to find "enlightenment" rather than to provoke more resentment, it added.

"All incidents have causes — to grasp and understand them is always wise," the editorial said.

continue reading here : http://www.todayonline.com/chinaindi...n-global-times

skyleon · #50 29-11-2016, 02:59 PM

S'pore set to begin recovery of seized Terrex vehicles: Ng Eng Hen

Published: 12:44 PM, November 29, 2016

Updated: 2:25 PM, November 29, 2016

SINGAPORE — The Singapore Government and the Defence Ministry will begin proceedings to recover the nine seized SAF armoured vehicles after a meeting later on Tuesday between Hong Kong customs officials and staff from shipping firm APL, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen has said.

Speaking to reporters at Choa Chu Kang camp, Dr Ng added that speculation on the issue was unwarranted until the reasons and legal basis for Hong Kong's detainment of the Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicles were made clear.

"After the reasons and legal basis are made clear for the detention of SAF Terrexes by the Hong Kong authorities, Mindef and the Singapore government will commence proceedings to recover our assets," the minister added. "Mindef aims to comply with all regulations and laws as well as exercise our full rights of recovery available to us."

The vehicles were seized by Hong Kong customs last Wednesday (Nov 23) during what officials called a "routine inspection". But media reports had suggested that they were acting on a tip off from mainland security agents in Xiamen, where the shipment by APL had made a stop prior to Hong Kong.

The Singapore Armed Forces had contracted APL, a unit of shipping giant CMA CGM Group which bought over homegrown company Neptune Orient Lines earlier this year, to transport the nine vehicles from Taiwan back to Singapore.

China has expressed growing unhappiness over the issue and said on Monday that it had lodged a diplomatic complaint with Singapore.

Speaking at a forum organised by The Straits Times on Tuesday morning, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan cautioned against over-reacting to the issue and stressed that Singapore would not allow its deep and wide ranging relationship with China to be hijacked by a single issue.

Some observers have linked the seizure of Terrex vehicles to China's unhappiness with Singapore's stance on the South China Sea territorial dispute, while others said it was an attempt by Beijing to signal its displeasure with SAF troops training in Taiwan.

In his comments, Dr Balakrishnan did not mention the South China Sea or Taiwan military training issues directly. But he told the audience that there would be differences in view with Beijing from time to time, "because we are such close and long term friends".

Meanwhile, shipping firm APL is still trying to find out the exact reason for the detainment of the Terrex vehicles, and the situation should be clearer in a day or two, Singapore's Chief of Army Melvyn Ong told reporters in a separate media briefing at Choa Chu Kang camp on Tuesday.

continue reading here : http://www.todayonline.com/singapore...ure-chief-army

Simply love to watch the show . Ah Hen should resign for failure to protect our military assets .

skyleon · #51 29-11-2016, 03:05 PM

Singapore to exercise ‘full rights’ in recovering armoured carriers: Defence Minister

By Justin Ong
Posted 29 Nov 2016 14:22
Updated 29 Nov 2016 14:30

SINGAPORE: Singapore will exercise its “full rights” in recovering the armoured vehicles that were seized by Hong Kong customs authorities, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Tuesday (Nov 29).

Shipping contractor APL will meet Hong Kong authorities later on Tuesday to discuss the matter, Dr Ng said. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) are closely monitoring the outcome of the meeting and will decide on “an appropriate course of action” afterwards, he said.

“After this meeting, the reasons and legal basis for detention will be made clear. We have to wait for the outcome of the meeting.

“MINDEF (Ministry of Defence) and the Singapore Government will then commence proceedings to recover assets. We aim to comply with all regulations and then exercise our full rights in recovering our assets," Dr Ng said, speaking after a MINDEF event.

The nine SAF Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicles (ICVs) have been impounded in Hong Kong since last Wednesday, when they were being shipped back to Singapore from Taiwan after being deployed in overseas training exercises.

"WE SHOULD NOT IMPUTE MOTIVES": NG

A Chinese spokesman on Monday stated China's opposition to countries having "any form of official exchanges with the Taiwan region, including military exchanges and cooperation".

continue reading here : http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/...d/3327110.html

So what happens if China do not want to release the vehicles ? What will Singapore do ?

arsenal168 · #52 29-11-2016, 04:38 PM

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