Global Policy Forum

Singapore has sought more information regarding a UN report linking a locally registered company to alleged arms smuggling in Liberia, the Singapore foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

The ministry said it had asked the United Nations for more information to undertake an investigation.

A report by a panel of experts to the UN Security Council said that Singapore-registered Borneo Jaya had violated a 1992 arms embargo on Liberia when it made payments to an "arms trafficking company" for a weapons delivery to the Western African nation.

"A recent UN report has made some general references to the alleged involvement of, among others, a Singapore-registered private company in financing an arms deal in Liberia," a foreign ministry spokesperson said.

Noting that there is an existing UN arms embargo on Liberia, the spokesperson said in reply to a query from AFP: "Singapore takes a serious view of any violations of UN sanctions. We have asked the UN for more information on these allegations to undertake the necessary investigations."

The UN panel said it had received a "certain document which indicates that a payment for weapons delivery was made directly from the Singapore accounts of the company Borneo Jaya."

It identified Borneo Jaya as the "mother company" of Oriental Timber Company, which operates a 1.6 million hectare concession in Liberia, equivalent to 42 percent of the country's total productive forests.

Oriental Timber is linked to the Hong Kong-based Global Star Holdings, which is part of Djan Djajanti group of Indonesia whose chairman is a Dutchman reported to be a close friend of Liberian President Charles Taylor, the UN report said.

Liberia has been accused of supporting guerrillas in neighbouring Sierra Leone in exchange for smuggled diamonds, prolonging the 10-year civil war in which at least 200 000 people have been killed.

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