SINGAPORE
Military Exports from Canada (1990-1999)
Year
Military Value of
Equipment Military
Types Exports
1999
6,10,11,14,17 1,088,806
1998
2,4,10,11,14,18 2,857,066
1997
4,10,11,14 2,231,404
1996
1,6,7,9,10,11,
13,14,18,24 1,062,644
1995
2,3,6,9,10,11,13,14 1,040,895
1994
2,5,6,9,10,11,14 3,343,619
1993
2,10,11,14,18 576,765
1992
2,6,10,11,13,14 2,648,716
1991
2,4,6,10,11,13,14 735,400
1990
5,6,7,11,14,15,17 934,666
Total $16,519,981
Sources: Export of Military Goods from
Canada, Annual Reports 1990-1999. Published by the Export Controls Division,
Export and Import Controls Bureau, Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade, Government of Canada. Web site: <http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/~eicb/>
-----------------------------------
Examples of Canadian Military Exports (1990s)
Bristol Aerospace Ltd.
• F-5
fighter aircraft upgrade work
Value
unknown (1993)
Ploughshares Monitor, June 1994
• CRV-7 70mm rockets for AS 550A2 helicopters
Value
unknown (1992)
Computing Devices Canada Ltd.
• Computer
system to control the firing of tank weapons
$0.45
million (1990)
Project Ploughshares’ Canadian Military
Industry Database
-----------------------------------
Canadian Government Promotes Military Exports
Military Trade Shows
Asian Aerospace 2000: The Dept. of Foreign
Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) said that Trade Team Canada's (TTC)
booth at this trade show was "to support Canadian corporate presence and
assist in marketing Canadian firms. Providing support for TTC presence will
allow a more comprehensive watching brief for emerging sectoral opportunities
from many global players."
Source: Canadian International Business
Strategy, 2000-2003. Nov. 25, 1999.
AA 2002 is being advertised on the websites
of Industry Canada and DFAIT.
Canadian Exhibitors at AA 2000:
* Air-TV/Canadian
Marconi
* Bombardier
Aerospace
* CAE
Electronics
* Canada
- Trade Team Canada
* Canadian
High Commission
* CML
ATC Technologies
* Indal
Technologies
* Industry
Canada
* Irvin
Aerospace Canada Inc.
* Magellan
Aerospace
* National
Research Council
* NATO
Flying Training in Canada
* Pratt
& Whitney Canada
* Spar
Aviation Services
* Standard
Aero
Source: <http://www.asianaerospace.com/AA2000/aa2000/exhibitors/exhibitors.asp>
---
IMDEX Asia: International Maritime Defence
Exhibition
Canadian Exhibitors:
* Bombardier
Aerospace (1999, 2001)
* CAE
Electronics (1999, 2001)
* Canadian
High Commission (2001)
* Honeywell
Ltd., Aerospace Div. (1999)
* Indal
Technologies (1999, 2001)
* Interactive
Circuit & Systems (1999)
* MacDonald
Dettwiler & Assoc. (2001)
* Offshore
Systems Ltd (1999)
* Simsmart
Inc (2001)
Sources: IMDEX websites <http://www.imdexasia.com/exhib
itor.htm> and <http://www.imdexasia.com/99exhb.htm>
---
Military Pilot Training
Since Canada's Dept. of National Defence
began marketing air force training under the Canadian Aerospace Training
Project (CATP) in 1993, Singapore has been CATP's top customer, generating over
$12 million in sales. For 2000/2001, Singapore will spend approximately $2
million to send nine students to various training courses in Canada.
The
Canadian and Singapore air forces have concluded an arrangement for Singapore
to participate in the NATO Flying Training in Canada agreement. Singapore will send six pilot trainees and
two qualified flying instructors per year to Canada. Singapore will be the
first non-NATO country to join the initiative.
Source: CANCAPS Bulletin, May 2000. Canadian Consortium on Asia Pacific Security
<http://www.iir.ubc.ca/cancaps/cbul25.html>
-----------------------------------
Human Rights Violations (1999)
When several presidential candidates were
declared ineligible. Only former
cabinet ministers, chief justices, senior civil servants or heads of large
companies can run the president. Civil defamation suits were reportedly misused
to curb freedom of expression and the rights of political opponents.
Restricting expression
The opposition Singapore Democratic Party’s
leader was jailed twice in February for giving speeches without a licence. He was fined about US$2,300, but chose to
serve 19 days in prison. His assistant
was imprisoned for 12 days for refusing to pay a fine for adjusting the
leader’s microphone. They were
disqualified from elections for five years. Their fines were later reduced,
allowing them to stand for elections.
An
author was fined for selling, without a permit, his book on the persecution of
Asian dissidents. Police reportedly
refused to permit rallies on “political openness in Singapore.”
In
July, the Prime Minister withdrew his petition to make Jeyaretnam, leader of
the opposition Workers’ Party (WP), bankrupt.
This stemmed from a civil defamation suit lodged by the Prime Minister
against Jeyaretnam in 1997. Jeyaretnam lost and was unable to pay all the damages. The damages appeared to be designed to
bankrupt him, disqualify him from parliament.
The court dismissed his appeal against a defamation award for allegedly
defaming a PAP parliamentarian and 9 others in 1995. Proceedings were suspended but Jeyaretnam continued to face
bankruptcy and disqualification from parliament. The WP faced closure, unless
they paid US$307,000.
Conscientious objectors
At least 32 conscientious objectors to
military service (all Jehovah’s Witnesses) were imprisoned. This group has been banned in Singapore
since 1972. There is no alternative
civilian service for conscientious objectors.
Cruel judicial punishment
Caning, a cruel, inhuman punishment, remained
mandatory for 30 crimes. Addicts face
mandatory caning and imprisonment when admitted more than twice to a
rehabilitation centre. Juveniles may be
caned as a punishment.
Source: Amnesty International Report 2000.
<http://www.amnesty-usa.org/ailib/>
-----------------------------------
Labour Rights Violations (1999)
The Registrar of Trade Unions has
wide-ranging powers to refuse or cancel registration of unions, particularly
where one already exists in a particular occupation or industry. These could be used to obstruct their establishment
and to impose a single union structure.
Unions which are refused registration or whose registration is cancelled
can appeal but decisions are made by the Minister of Labour, whose ruling may
not be challenged. This law has not been used in 15 years.
Public sector
In the public sector, there is no legal right
to form and join unions. The Trades
Unions Act contains a general prohibition on government employees joining
unions, but Singapore’s President can make exemptions. The AUPE public sector
union is Singapore’s second largest. The scope of representation has been
widened over the years. Since 1999, all public sector employees except the most
senior civil servants have been able to unionise.
Employees
of statutory boards can join general public sector unions, except Boards for Public
Utilities, Urban Redevelopment and Housing and Development, where employees can
only join “in-house unions.”
Further restrictions in law
The law interferes in the right of unions to
elect officers freely, as well as whom they employee. It limits how unions
spend their funds and prohibits payments to political parties or for political
purposes.
Collective
agreements have to be certified by Industrial Arbitration Courts before coming
into effect. These courts can refuse certification at their discretion – although this has not happened. These
courts can refuse certification for collective agreements in newly established
enterprises if they provide conditions more favourable than the legal minimum
in the Employment Act. Exemptions can and have been granted upon application
from employers.
In
limited situations, the law provides for compulsory arbitration that can end
collective bargaining at the request of only one of the parties and make a
legal strike impossible. This has not happened since 1981.
An
excessive number of union members are required to vote in favour of a strike
before it is permitted.
Source: Annual Survey of Violations of Trade
Union Rights (2000), International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.
-----------------------------------
Child Labour Violations
* 38,600 aged 15-19 are economically active.
(ILO, Yearbook of Labour Statistics, 1999)
Prostitution and Trafficking
* Thai
and Malaysian women are reportedly trafficked to Singapore for prostitution.
(U.S. Dept. of State, Human Rights Report, 1999)
* Thousands
of girls from south China are trafficked into Thailand; some go on to Malaysia
or Singapore. (CATW Fact Book, citing Supalak Ganjana-khundee, “Migrant workers
booming as Asian economy declines,” Kyodo News, Sept. 23, 1998)
* Filipino
women are recruited for work in Singapore. Illegal recruitment, allegedly for
work abroad, has historically brought women into prostitution or other forms of
sexual exploitation. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Jean Enriquez, “Filipinas in
Prostitution around U.S. Military Bases in Korea”)
* Malaysia
is a receiving country for trafficked women from numerous Asian countries
including Singapore. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution
in the Asia Pacific, 1996)
Source: <http://www.globalmarch.org/worstformsreport/world/singapore.html>
-----------------------------------
“Labor-management relations in Singapore are
excellent. There has been only one strike since 1986. Though workers other than
those in essential services have the legal right to strike, the chances of
strikes are minimal. Industrial
disputes are usually settled through mediation by the government. When this
fails, the matter is decided by the Industrial Arbitration Court, whose rulings
are binding. Once the ourt recognizes a dispute, strikes or lock-outs are
illegal. About 14% of the work force is unionized.”
Source: “Singapore: Investment Climate,”
STAT-USA, US Dept. of Commerce, on Industry Canada’s website <strategis.ic.gc.ca>
-----------------------------------
TAKE ACTION!
Alliance for Reform and Democracy in Asia
(ARDA)
ARDA, formed in Oct. 2000, is a network
providing mutual information, support and non-violent intervention during times
of political crises. ARDA intends to build solidarity among pro-democracy activists,
monitor political developments and be a catalyst for new ideas and initiatives
to advance democracy, human rights, good governance and the rule of law across
Asia.
One
of ARDA’s leaders is Dr. Chee Soon Juan, General Secretary of the Singapore
Democratic Party, whose imprisonment is described on p.30.
Contact: <mailto:asiademocracy@hotmail.com>
Web: <http://www.asiademocracy.org/>