BURMA-SINGAPORE TRADE AND INVESTMENT -- MORE THAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 SINGAPORE 001890 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/15/2017 TAGS: ECON ETRD EINV ETTC PREL ASEAN EFIN BU SN SUBJECT: BURMA-SINGAPORE TRADE AND INVESTMENT -- MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE REF: A. SINGAPORE 1851 ¶B. SINGAPORE 1812 ¶C. SINGAPORE 1795 ¶D. RANGOON 645 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i. Daniel Shields; reasons 1.4(b) a nd (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: For Burma, Singapore is a major trading partner and source of investment and foreign exchange. Two-way trade in goods is declining, but Singapore remains an important investor in Burma for tourism, airlines, food processing, and infrastructure. Asia World, one of Burma's largest companies (and with links to one of Burma's chief drug lords),is connected to much of Singapore's investment in Burma, according to media reports. Singapore's stringent bank secrecy laws make it difficult to gauge its financial ties to Burma. Many assume the Burmese junta parks much of its money here, though the GOS strongly denies accusations of money laundering. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) COMMENT: Fed up with the regime's thuggishness, insularity, and incompetence, Singapore has been taking a much stronger line on Burma since the violent crackdown (refs A-C). As ASEAN chair, it has been a driver of the organization's tougher diplomatic stance. While GOS officials have concluded the current situation in Burma is untenable, they do not see sanctions as the answer, however. "We (ASEAN) can't do what the big powers can do in terms of trade embargo or freezing of bank accounts," Foreign Minister Yeo concluded in an October 2 interview. Singapore is keen to promote itself as a regional financial services center, and its stringent bank secrecy laws play a role. The GOS is therefore unlikely to take action against Burmese financial assets in the absence of UN-mandated sanctions. However, Singapore-based financial institutions will pay attention to Treasury's September 27 designation of fourteen senior Burmese officials. Past experience with DPRK and Iran issues suggest that some bank compliance officers here may reassess their respective policies on Burmese banking relationships, even in the absence of official pressure. END COMMENT. A Longstanding Trade Relationship -------------- ¶3. (U) Singapore's trade links with Burma long predate Singapore's independence in 1965. Private trading companies traditionally dominated commerce between the two former British colonies, selling timber, agricultural commodities (Burma was Singapore's largest supplier of rice up until the 1970s),and precious stones. Singapore once enjoyed a thriving business -- both legal and illegal -- with Burmese businessmen, who ferried goods along the Malacca Strait by small boats that docked at Singapore's Pasir Panjang port, then a general cargo wharf. This trade reportedly shifted north to Malaysia in the 1980s, in particular to Penang, after Singapore closed the wharf to conventional cargo in favor of containerized shipping. Currently, most Singapore businesses rely on third parties, including foreign nationals and offshore companies in Hong Kong, the Bahamas, and the British Virgin Islands, to process trade transactions with Burma. Contacts have noted that some of their Burma-based partners do not use the formal banking system. Declining Two-Way Trade -------------- ¶4. (U) Two-way trade in goods between Singapore and Burma totaled S$1 billion (US$ 667 million) in 2006 but has been declining gradually since at least 2004, according to IE Singapore, the government's trade promotion arm. Burma is Singapore's 35th largest trading partner; GOB and other sources list Singapore as either Burma's third or fourth largest trading partner. Singapore runs consistently large trade surpluses, averaging two-thirds to three-quarters of total trade. Its main imports from Burma include seafood, timber, tobacco, and garments. More recently, Singapore began purchasing sand from Burma for use in various land reclamation projects after Indonesia banned sand exports to Singapore. Singapore's primary exports to Burma include engineering equipment, mineral fuel oils and related products, electrical machinery, and plastics. SINGAPORE 00001890 002 OF 004 ¶5. (C) According to an unconfirmed press report, Singapore has provided military equipment -- guns, rockets, armored personnel carriers, and grenade launchers, as well as crowd control equipment, sophisticated telecom monitoring devices, and computers and networking equipment -- for Burma's defense ministry and army. The same report suggested that former Singapore Technologies subsidiaries are involved in selling arms to Burma (the GOS dismantled Singapore Technologies in 2004). Although we could not locate any publicly available information citing business activities between these ST companies -- ST Electronics, ST Aerospace, ST Engineering or ST Marine -- and Burma, a source at ST Kinetics (ST Engineering's transportation arm) confirmed that it sells unspecified equipment to Burma through a dealer in Thailand. How Much Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)? -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Singapore's accumulated FDI in Burma was S$742 million (US$495 million) in 2005 (latest available figures), a 20-percent decrease since 2001, according to the Department of Statistics. Government-linked corporation (GLC) Keppel Land maintains a multi-million investment in the Sedona hotels in Rangoon and Mandalay. Other Singapore companies have invested in tourism, airlines, resorts, breweries, and infrastructure. Some GLCs have divested or delayed investment since the late 1990s due to political uncertainties and the difficult business operating environment. They include SembCorp, SingTel, Intraco Trading, and the Comfort Group (see partial list below of Singapore companies with investments in Burma). Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew admitted in an October 10 interview that he had advised Singapore companies to open hotels in Burma, but claimed that now "their hotels are empty" thanks to the economic mismanagement of Burma's "rather dumb generals." ¶7. (C) According to an unconfirmed press report, one of Burma's largest companies, Asia World, is linked with much of Singapore's investment in Burma. Asia World is reportedly owned by Stephen Law, son of Burmese drug lord Lo Hsing Han. It is rumored that Law established Asia World largely to launder his father's drug money in Singapore and Hong Kong. Law, together with his Singaporean spouse, Cecilia Ng, reportedly also control Kokang Singapore, a Singapore-based trading company. ¶8. (U) Cumulative Burmese investment in Singapore as of 2005 was comparatively little at S$14.6 million (US$9.7 million), almost all of it invested in wholesale and retail operations and restaurants. Yoma Strategic Holdings, listed since August 2006, is the only Burmese company on the Singapore Stock Exchange. Yoma is engaged in property development and construction and is controlled by Burma-born, ethnic-Chinese tycoon Serge Pun, who also heads Burma's largest private commercial bank, Yoma Bank. ¶9. (U) Respective FDI in both countries is probably higher. Singapore's Department of Statistics does not disclose Burmese investment in Singapore related to finance, real estate or transport and storage due to the need to "avoid disclosure of data of individual companies." It similarly blocks data regarding Singapore investment in Burma related to manufacturing, real estate, and professional, technical and administrative activities. Remittances Provide Foreign Exchange -------------- ¶10. (U) Singapore serves as a source of foreign exchange for Burma, in part from remittances. Estimates of the number of Burmese nationals residing in Singapore vary widely, from 50,000 (press reports) to 100,000 (Embassy contact). Most of the Burmese here are students, business people, and "foreign guest workers", i.e., domestic staff and laborers. (Note: The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) does not release data on remittances by country nor maintain restrictions on transfers to Burma. End note.) The Burmese community tends to congregate around the Peninsula Plaza shopping center, also known as Burma Mall. Many of the shop owners and restaurateurs are permanent residents of Burmese origin, most SINGAPORE 00001890 003 OF 004 of them ethnic Chinese. Singapore is also home to a sizeable ethnic Indian Burmese community that settled here in the 1960s and 70s. Bank Secrecy: A Junta's Best Friend -------------- ¶11. (C) Singapore's stringent bank secrecy laws make it difficult to gauge its financial ties with Burma. However, Singapore's position as a major regional financial center presumably makes it an attractive destination for Burmese wealth, including laundered money. Unconfirmed foreign press reports suggest that much of the money parked in Singapore is derived from Burma's booming drug trade and other illicit activities. However, an MAS spokesperson declared the reports "completely baseless," and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told CNN that "our rules against (money laundering) are as strict as any other financial center." Despite Singapore's strong diplomatic stance on Burma of late, Foreign Minister George Yeo has publicly expressed doubts about imposing sanctions or seizing Burmese assets unilaterally or through ASEAN. However, precedent with Iran and North Korea suggests the government would strictly enforce UN-mandated sanctions and that banks might review banking relationships with Burma on their own initiative in response to increasing international pressure. (Note: MAS is taking steps to strengthen its ability to track and combat money laundering. Banks, other financial institutions, and non-financial institutions are required to file suspicious transaction reports and, since July 1, must collect originator information for cross-border wire transfers. The Ministry of Home Affairs is in the process of establishing reporting requirements for cash couriers -- the primary vehicle for moving drug money in Southeast Asia -- that it expects to implement in the coming year. End note.) Singapore Companies in Burma -------------- ¶12. (U) Following is a partial list of Singapore companies with investments in Burma based on official 2003 data from International Enterprise Singapore (latest available) and company sources: Government-linked Companies Activities -------------- Keppel Corp - Straits Greenfield Hotel ownership and - Wiseland Investment Myanmar Operations - Double Peak Holdings Investments Publicly-Listed Companies** -------------- Allgreen Properties Trading (building materials) Berger International Manufacturing (paints) Fraser & Neave Ltd. Brewery Hotel Plaza Ltd Hotel ownership Viz Branz Ltd. Food and beverage TT International Ltd. Trading Yoma Strategic Investments Property, construction and piling services ** traded on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) Privately-held Companies -------------- Ace Pressureweld Trading (Equipment, steel products) Asia Paint (Singapore) Manufacturing/Trading (Paints, Solvents) Swee Hong Exim Trading (Computers) SINGAPORE 00001890 004 OF 004 Lam Choo Chee & Sons Trading (LD/VCD systems) Krislite Private Ltd. Manufacturing/Trading (Street Lighting) SMC Food 21 Private Ltd. Manufacturing (Food) Texcamp Investments Manufacturing (Textiles) GATT Private Ltd. Manufacturing (Dairy) Hin Hin Trading Manuf. (Lubricants) Inko Brothers Hardware Rep. Office (Valves) Kawei International Rep. Office (Food products) Kian Ngiap Sewing Machine Rep. Office (Sewing) Kuok Group Hotels Kwang Joo (Private) Ltd. Trading (Ag. Commod.) L D Waxson Singapore Rep. Office (Skin Care) Legend International Development Office (Machinery) Majuko Enterprise Trade Office (Agric.) Masda Chemical (Private) Ltd. Trading Office (Chemicals, Flavors) Maya Manufacturing & Trading Manufacturing (Mosquito Coils) P L International Seafood Processing Panimex Trading Private Ltd. Trading (Agricultural) Visit Embassy Singapore's Classified website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/singapore/ind ex.cfm SHIELDS