ARMS EXPORT

Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam asked the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence if he will give the names of the countries to which arms are exported from Singapore and say what arms are exported in the case of each country.

Mr Goh Chok Tong: My Ministry's policy is not to disclose information which jeopardises essential defence interests. This includes arms sales. This non-disclosure is the established parliamentary practice of many countries, including the United Kingdom.

Non-disclosure stipulations are the norm in arms sales agreements. In the same way, when MINDEF buys arms from overseas, it insists on non-disclosure of the details of the procurements.

The sale of arms by MINDEF-controlled companies is subject to strict supervision by my Ministry. Every sale is carefully assessed for its political and security implications. It would be neither prudent nor responsible to disclose details of such sales.