In a Facebook post yesterday (Dec. 30), Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen seemed optimistic and rather gung-ho in his updates on the SAF's nine Terrex vehicles, which have been detained by the Hong Kong authorities since November 23.

Here are three observations we've gleaned from Ng's update:

1. Better oversight of its transportation of military equipment

In his post, Ng said:

The SAF will learn from this episode and has already changed its practices to better protect our assets.

Ng did not elaborate on the practices that have been changed, but we can infer that the SAF will have better oversight of the transportation of its equipment in future.

In other words, they may likely involve direct shipping routes (which is most costly) or the planning and screening of the shipping routes and avoiding ports like Hong Kong in future.

2. Quiet efforts are being made for the return of the Terrexes

Ng reiterated that the Singapore Government was doing all it could to secure the return of the Terrexes, albeit away from the limelight:

But all of us are of course upset that the Terrexes, our property, have not been returned to Singapore. We have been working at all levels of Government these past two months to effect their return, quietly and out of the limelight where it is more effective.

Ng probably made this point to allay Singaporeans' concerns that developments on the matter seem slow.

3. The Terrex issue is not a threat to our security, even if we lose them

Ng called for the Terrex issue to be viewed in "proper context" and played down its significance in relation to Singapore's broader defence considerations, such as terrorism and the need for solidarity among Singaporeans.

The Terrex issue does not pose an existential threat or even a potential threat as say, terrorism does today. And the SAF must not lose focus or allow that one issue to dominate all else. Neither should Singaporeans allow this one incident to shake our confidence or weaken our solidarity. We are a sovereign and independent country, and we will chart our own future.

With this point, Ng was probably trying to prepare Singaporeans for the possibility that the Terrexes might not be returned anytime soon, or returned at all.

After all, there are broader strategic defence considerations to be more concerned with, and the Terrexes are merely pawns on a larger chessboard.

For instance, the price of the 9 Terrexes is surely lower than the value of Hong Kong as a free port.

Ng also said that he will be sharing more on the issue in the next Parliament Sitting scheduled to take place in January 2017.

Here is Ng's full update:

Top image adapted from Ng Eng Hen's Facebook.

Related articles:

Three reasons why our 9 Terrex vehicles won’t be home for Christmas

An important China-S’pore event didn’t take place for the 1st time since 2004

Are we being “bullied” into submission by China over this Terrex incident?

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