Singapore reportedly toughens DPRK trade laws
UPDATE (10/29/2010): According to the Straits Times:
Singapore has tightened its trade controls by imposing new prohibitions on transactions with North Korea and Iran.
Singapore Customs said in a statement on Friday that the latest regulatory revisions, effective from Nov 1, are timely in the light of ongoing global efforts to curb illicit diversions of controlled goods and technology to rogue entities and sanctioned countries such as North Korea and Iran. Both countries stand accused of trying to start nuclear weapons programmes.
At present, prohibitions on them include arms or related materials, certain vacuum systems and pumps, compressors and gas blowers. They also cover luxury goods such as cigars, wines and spirits and even plasma televisions. But in the revised list, there will be new prohibitions on any arms as defined by the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, and related materials.
These include among other things: weaponry, battle tanks, combat aircrafts, warships, armoured combat vehicles. The latest amendments to the list of prohibited imports, exports and goods to or from North Korea and Iran are in line with recent United Nations Security Council Resolutions’ sanctions imposed on the two countries, as well as Singapore’s continuous commitment to its international obligations.
Singapore’s trade with North Korea and Iran accounted for less than 0.4 per cent of the Republic’s total trade value of $747 billion last year. The small amount of trade typically revolved around commodities and other agricultural, tobacco and consumer goods.
Traders are strongly encouraged to implement effective internal export control compliance measures to screen the consignees and end-users of their exports, Singapore customs said.
ORIGINAL POST: According to Today Online:
After relying on its existing laws for more than a year, Singapore is adding more bite to its implementation of United Nations sanctions against North Korea.
According to documents on the Government’s electronic gazette website, the Republic is introducing additional legislation to meet its obligations to the resolution adopted in June last year by the UN Security Council (UNSC).
From Nov 1, it will be an explicit offence to breach the measures imposed by the UNSC on various individuals, entities and goods and services from the hermit kingdom.
The prohibitions will apply to all persons in Singapore and any Singaporean abroad and cover a wide range – from financial and bunkering services to the supply and procurement of certain items.
These not only include military-related material but also luxury goods, if it is believed to be in relation to any person who might be involved in North Korea’s weapons programmes. The Singapore Customs website lists 14 categories of luxury goods, such as cigars, wines and spirits, fur products, perfumes and cosmetics, plasma televisions, personal digital music players and luxury cars. Works of art and musical instruments are also included.
When the UNSC adopted the resolution last year, Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Vanu Gopala Menon, had informed the council that the city-state had the “necessary legislative framework in place to meet its obligations”. Such laws include the Strategic Goods (Control) Act, the Merchant Shipping Act and the Immigration Act.
When contacted, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said the Republic “is obliged to implement the UNSC Resolutions on North Korea. We take these obligations seriously”.
But in his letter dated Aug 3 last year, Mr Menon also said that a regulation was being drafted to give effect to the provisions of Resolution 1874 (2009), which had been imposed in response to North Korea’s second nuclear test in May last year.
The upcoming legislation comes more than a year after the Monetary Authority of Singapore prohibited financial institutions from carrying on transactions and services with North Korea relating to banned material and listed individuals.
Few companies incorporated in Singapore have dealings with North Korea, though.
One such company is Maxgro Holdings.
According to its website, it is a concession owner and infrastructure development company that holds a 70-per-cent stake in a joint venture with the Pyongyang government to grow eight million hard-wood timber trees on a $23-million, 20,000-hectare plantation near Pyongyang. Other dealings with the Communist state include pharmaceutical and tourism projects.
Previous Singapore/DPRK posts can be found here.
Read the full story here:
S’pore toughens laws against trade with N Korea
Today Online
Esther NG
10/8/2010
