Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) has announced that the nine Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicles (ICVs) and other equipment have arrived in Singapore today (30 January) at 2.40pm and will be transported to an SAF Camp for post-training administration.
It said that the standard post-training administration for all vehicles and equipment include thorough serviceability checks and routine maintenance.
The vehicles and equipment then left Hong Kong port at 4.15am on Friday (27 January) and headed directly back to Singapore.
According to South China Morning Post and Oriental Daily, heavy security accompanied the armoured vehicles as they were moved out of a customs’ cargo examination compound at about midnight on Friday. There were customs officers armed with rifles stood guard and police motorcycles which escorted the convoy as it travelled to a container terminal at the port.
The shipment was handled by APL, the company which initially handled the shipping from Taiwan back to Singapore after a military exercise.
The Terrex ICVs were seized by the Hong Kong customs at Hong Kong’s Kwai Chung Container Terminal on 23 November on their way to Singapore from the Taiwanese port of Kaohsiung and had been stored at Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal for most of the two months.
The vehicles were released after the Customs and Exercise Department completed an investigation, which revealed that Singapore government could not be held responsible as it was only the consignee of the vehicles. The shipping company, however, could potentially face criminal prosecution.
Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister of Defence earlier noted that the decision to return the Terrex ICVs is “a positive outcome” and that it “reflects good and friendly relations between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China and Singapore.
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