• 17 Singaporeans have opted to return home since the Yangon International Airport reopened on Feb 4
• There are about 500 Singaporeans in Myanmar registered with MFA
• Singapore has S$31.8 billion worth of investments in Myanmar
• Widespread sanctions against Myanmar will only affect ordinary people there, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said 

SINGAPORE — In the midst of a major political upheaval in Myanmar, 17 Singaporeans have chosen to return home after the Yangon International Airport reopened earlier this month. 

Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said in Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 16) that they had returned to Singapore on Feb 5 and 12, after weekly relief flights between Yangon and Singapore resumed on Feb 4.

There are about 500 Singaporeans in Myanmar who have registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

For Singaporeans who have yet to register with the ministry, Dr Balakrishnan urges them to do so quickly. 

He warned that “the situation in Myanmar remains volatile”, and advised Singaporeans there to avoid public gatherings and demonstrations, to abide by all local laws and regulations, and to monitor the news closely.

“Amid these escalating tensions, our embassy in Yangon has maintained regular contact with the Singaporeans in Myanmar, particularly those who are registered with our embassy,” he said.

Dr Balakrishnan was responding to a question raised by Mr Gerald Giam, Member of Parliament (MP) from the Workers’ Party.

The MP for Aljunied Group Representation Constituency had asked if MFA had received an increase in the number of requests for consular assistance from Singaporeans in Myanmar following the recent military coup.

He had also asked whether the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will be issuing a joint statement on the situation in Myanmar, and how these developments will impact Asean and its relations with major powers in the region.

Myanmar army chief Min Aung Hlaing and his military overthrew elected civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb 1 and detained her, alleging fraud in an election last year that her party, the National League for Democracy, won in a landslide.

The electoral commission had dismissed the army's claims.

‘ALARMING DEVELOPMENTS’

Large-scale protests against the army have been taking place across Myanmar, with media reports saying that some protesters have been injured and one who has died after sustaining injuries. 

Internet services have been cut by Myanmar’s junta several times, making the access to information difficult as well.

“These are alarming developments,” Dr Balakrishan said. “We urge the authorities to exercise utmost restraint, to avoid further injuries and loss of lives.”

He added that reports of a foreigner who was arrested “will certainly affect the investment outlook and undermine business confidence” in Myanmar.

Mr Sean Turnell, an Australian economic adviser to Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi, told news agency Reuters on Feb 6 that he was being detained, making him the first known arrest of a foreign national since the military coup. 

“Our own businessmen are aware of this downside risks, and I have no doubt that Singaporean businesses are also re-evaluating their risk profile and the exposure to this market,” Dr Balakrishnan said.

He added that Singapore is the largest foreign investor in Myanmar, with cumulative approved investments worth US$24 billion (S$31.8 billion) as of December last year.

A major proportion of Singapore’s investment over the last five years has occurred under Ms Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, a period that Dr Balakrishnan said saw a ten-fold increase in Singapore's direct investments in Myanmar compared with the five-year period before that.  

“I want to stress that companies made these investment decisions on commercial grounds. They did not do so because of political influence or political suggestion on our part,” Dr Balakrishnan added.

He believes that commercial companies saw promising opportunities in a Myanmar that was undergoing democratic transition.

“I say all this in order to head off suggestions that we should now interfere on political grounds with commercial decisions.”  

He also warned against implementing widespread sanctions against Myanmar as punitive measures.

In reference to the World Bank, he said that an estimated quarter of the population in Myanmar live below the poverty line — a situation worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“We should not embark on widespread, generalised (and) indiscriminate sanctions because the people who will suffer most will be the ordinary people in Myanmar,” he said. 

SINGAPORE’S POSITION ON SITUATION
 
Addressing Singapore’s stance towards the situation in Myanmar, Dr Balakrishnan said “every country's politics and destiny should be determined by its own people”.

Just as Singapore will not tolerate foreign interference in its politics, he said that the Singapore Government will similarly not seek to interfere in the domestic affairs of others.

“This is a principle we hold fast to and this is a foundational principle of Asean.”

A statement was already issued quickly by the Asean chair, Brunei, to reflect the seriousness with which the regional grouping views the developments in Myanmar.

Dr Balakrishnan said that the statement emphasised and re-affirmed the importance of the principles enshrined in the Asean charter, including adherence to the principles of democracy, the rule of law, good governance, respect for and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

“It also called for dialogue reconciliation and return to normalcy in accordance with the will of the people of Myanmar.”