RESULTS OF BLUE LANTERN CHECK ON APPLICATION

UNCLAS SINGAPORE 003773 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR PM/DTTC BLUE LANTERN COORDINATOR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETTC KOMC SN SUBJECT: RESULTS OF BLUE LANTERN CHECK ON APPLICATION 05-0016466 AND LICENSES 05-954009, 05-953564, AND 05-952356 REF: A. STATE 176589 ¶B. 04 SINGAPORE 1059 ¶1. As requested, Post made inquiries to verify the bona fides of Link-West Pte. Ltd. and confirm the legitimacy of the order listed Ref A. ¶2. Link-West Pte. Ltd. is a limited exempt private company that has been operating in Singapore since May 13, 1999. Singapore's online business directory, Biznet, lists the company's principle officer as: Name: GOH Yong Meng Nationality: Singaporean ID: S0007034C Address: 409 Pasir Ris Drive 6, #03-421, Singapore, 510409 ¶3. DHS/ICE databases revealed no negative information about Link-West Pte. Ltd. ¶4. Singapore's Defense Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) confirmed that Link-West was a Ministry of Defense (MOD) contractor. A DSTA representative said that the MOD had ordered and received the armored vehicle spare parts described in licenses 05-952356, and 05-954009, but that DSTA was not aware of license 05-953564. Note: 05-953564 appeared to be a duplicate of 05-954009. End note. DSTA reported it had one outstanding order with Link-West for five safety switches under application 05-0016466. ¶5. Econoff relayed this information to PM/DTCC and noted that the American seller, International Parts Supply (IPS) Corporation, prepared two identical export applications and submitted them to the Department four days apart. PM/DTCC contacted IPS and confirmed that a duplicate license application was erroneously prepared. IPS informed PM/DTCC that it would return the duplicate to the Department. ¶6. Econoff on December 12 attempted a site visit to Link-West at the address list Ref A. As reported Ref B, Link-West's offices appeared to comprise a small storage facility (locked at the time of visit) and a shared administrative area. Econoff asked to speak with Link-West's Managing Director, GOH Yong Meng, and was told that Goh now worked out of his house. Econoff then contacted Goh via telephone. Goh said that the address listed Ref A was too large for his needs and explained that he now sublet the space to other firms. Link-West was a one-man operation created in 1999 to act as the Singapore representative for Minnesota-based IPS, Goh explained. He said that Link-West acted almost exclusively as a broker between IPS and the Singapore Ministry of Defense (MOD),though his company occasionally purchased items from other sources for sale to the MOD. According to Goh, Link-West did not warehouse any items unless they were damaged and need to be returned to the seller. Company records were currently stored in his home office, he said. Goh seemed to have a firm understanding of the DOS licensing process and related restrictions on re-transfers and re-exports. ¶7. In Post's assessment, Link-West appeared to be a small but legitimate distributor of vehicle parts and accessories with verifiable ties to the Singapore MOD. HERBOLD