Hong Kong to return seized armoured vehicles to Singapore
Move brings to an end two-month saga that has plunged the Lion City’s ties with Beijing to a low point, but shipping company responsible faces legal action
Hong Kong has agreed to return nine Singaporean armoured vehicles that it seized in transit from Taiwan two months ago, but is likely to prosecute the shipping company responsible.
The return of the Singapore military’s Terrex troop carriers signals an end to the diplomatic row that has left relations between Beijing and the city state at a low point.
Hong Kong customs announced yesterday that the shipment of the military vehicles would be returned to the Lion City following the completion of investigations over a suspected breach of local laws governing the import, export and transhipment of strategic commodities.
“The action by the Hong Kong Customs on November 23 was taken because there was a suspected breach of the Hong Kong law,” Commissioner of Customs and Excise Roy Tang Yun-kwong said in a statement.
He warned that the investigation “might lead to criminal prosecution”, while a security source told the Post that APL, the shipping company transporting the vehicles from Taiwan to Singapore via Hong Kong, was likely to face criminal charges. The vehicles would be returned in the next few days, the source added.
