RESULTS OF BLUE LANTERN CHECK ON APPLICATION

UNCLAS SINGAPORE 000204 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR PM/DTTC PETER DADE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETRD ETTC ECON KOMC SN SUBJECT: RESULTS OF BLUE LANTERN CHECK ON APPLICATION 05-1013938 REF: STATE 204108 ¶1. As requested, Post made inquiries to verify the bona fides of Champ Components Pte Ltd and confirm the legitimacy of the order listed reftel. ¶2. Champ Components Pte Ltd is a limited exempt private company that has been operating in Singapore since January 30, 2004. Singapore's online business directory, Biznet, lists the company's principle officers as: Name: NG Meng Heok (aka Julian Ng) Nationality: Singaporean ID: S7012517Z Address: 49 Lorong 5, Toa Payoh, #07-71, Singapore, 310049 Name: NEU Eng Keong Nationality: Singaporean ID: S7007998D Address: 979C Buangkok Crescent, #04-105, Singapore, 533979 ¶3. DHS/ICE databases revealed no negative information about Champ Components Pte Ltd. ¶4. Econoff on January 12 attempted to visit Champ Components at the address listed reftel. An employee told Econoff that Julian Ng was not available, but produced a Champ Components business card with Ng's contact information. (Note: The sign on the door indicated the office was occupied by a business called Micromspec. End note.) Via telephone, Ng explained that he leased office space to Micromspec. Ng said that Champ Components was a trading company that dealt primarily with aerospace and defense customers. Although it was not listed on the license application, Ng said that the end-user for the hard disk in question was ST Aerospace. ST Aerospace is a division of ST Engineering, a publicly listed company in which Temasek, the Singapore government's holding company, owns a majority interest. In addition to its other businesses, ST Engineering handles many, if not most, of the Singapore Armed Forces procurement contracts. According to Ng, ST Aerospace's specifications for a replacement hard disk led to his application to import a higher grade, U.S.-manufactured part. Ng claimed he did not know how the hard disk would be used and recommended that Econoff contact ST Aerospace directly. ¶5. An ST Aerospace representative confirmed the order placed through Champ Components. The hard disk would be used in a mobile satellite communications unit, hence the need for a disk with a higher vibration tolerance than was available off the shelf, he said. ¶7. Champ Components appeared to be a small but legitimate trading company with a justifiable explanation for its order. However, it is not clear why Champ Components failed to indicate the correct end-user (ST Aerospace) on its application, especially since the Singapore Armed Forces are frequent recipients of USML goods. HERBOLD