Immediately block the Myanmar junta’s access to funds, arms, equipment, and jet fuel – Open Letter to the Government of Singapore and the Global Public Movement

Immediate Press Release

Date – 29 October 2023

To mark the 1,000th day since the coup attempt, on October 29, we sent an open letter to the Singaporean Government signed by over 27,700 (included from ground 1314) and endorsed by (431)  local and international organizations across the world.

Singapore is the third largest dealer of arms and dual-use goods to the Myanmar junta, supporting its killing machine. Despite the Foreign Minister of Singapore, Mr. Vivian Belakrishnan, having stated that Singapore’s policy is to, “prohibit the transfer of arms to Myanmar”, UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews has pointed out that after the February 2021 coup attempt in Myanmar, 138 arms broker companies in Singapore have sold nearly 254 dollars worth of arms and related material to the Myanmar junta. We have called on the Singaporean Government to match their words and actions.

On behalf of those who have signed the open letter, the Blood Money Campaign Coalition asks: Will the Singaporean Government stand for blood money or clean business with dignity? This crisis can be stopped, and it needs to end now.

Nine Singapore banks reportedly hold nearly 4.6 billion dollars of Myanmar’s foreign reserves. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) announced that Singapore banks have no significant funds from Myanmar companies and individual firms, and they also claim to be watching very carefully any financial transaction that could pose risk. However, Tom Andrews has highlighted that Singaporean banks have been used extensively by arms and jet fuel dealers.

Singapore is the financial hub for the Myanmar junta, enabling it to continue to conduct airstrikes against innocent civilian areas and commit severe human right violations.

We call on the Singaporean Government to:

1) Introduce sanctions to stop the direct and indirect transfer of arms, dual-use goods, technology, and jet fuel, and related transactions, to the Myanmar military, as well as related transactions;

2) Utilise money laundering provisions and impose sanctions to ensure the illegal junta cannot access the Singapore financial system, including the 4.6 billion of funds that belong to the Government of Myanmar,

3) Expedite and make public ongoing investigations into Singaporean companies that have supplied arms, dual-use goods and technology to the Myanmar military.

During the 1,000 days of the coup attempt, the Myanmar junta has committed atrocities against innocent civilians, including bombing, indiscriminate airstrikes, burning down civilian homes, and killing civilians, including children. The junta has killed over 4,000 people and arrested over 25,000 people, and there are now nearly 2 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Do More Singapore

In Solidarity,

Basic Education Students and Youth Association -BESYA Central
Blood Money Campaign
Burmese Canadian Network
Community Resource Centre foundation
CRPH SUPPORT GROUP, NORWAY
Democracy against Dictatorships – MILK TEA ALLIANCE
Democracy Movement Strike Committee – DDMSC
Democratic Youth Council -DYC
ETOs Watch Coalition
Finland Myanmar Society Ry
Friends Against Dictatorship -FAD
General Strike Committee of Nationalities -GSCN
General Strike Coordination Body -GSCB
Global Myanmar Spring Revolution-GMSR
Kachin State Civilian Movement-KSCM
Minority Affairs Institute-MAI
Myanmar Campaign Network
Myanmar Muslim Revolution Force-MMRF
National Alliance Bangkok
New Power Generation
OCTOPUS
Progressive Voice
Rangoon Scout Network -RSN
Save Myanmar USA
Student Union Representatives Committee-SURC
The Mekong Butterfly
Twitter Team for Revolution

For more information, please contact: Blood Money Campaign Coalition:  [email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/BloodMoneyCampaignMM

Blood Money Campaign: [email protected]
CRPH Support Group Norway: [email protected]
Progressive Voice: [email protected]
Global Myanmar Spring Revolution: [email protected]
Myanmar Muslim Revolution Force (MMRF) – [email protected]
Rangoon Scout Network – RSN – [email protected]