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Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan called on Myanmar military authorities to "exercise utmost restraint" and stop their violence against civilians during his Committee of Supply speech in Parliament today (Mar. 1).
Peaceful political solution only possible if Aung San Suu Kyi is released
"We are appalled by the use of lethal force against civilians," Vivian said, calling the use of lethal weapons against unarmed civilians "inexcusable in all circumstances".
He added that prolonged instability in Myanmar will hold serious consequences for not just Myanmar, but Asean and the region as well.
He called on all parties in the country to discuss and negotiate "in good faith", to reach a long-term peaceful political solution and return to its path of democratic transition.
The foreign minister stressed that such a solution can only begin if Myanmar's civilian president Win Myint, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and other political detainees are immediately released.
Asean can still play constructive role despite non-interference principle
Vivian added that Asean can still play a constructive role in helping Myanmar return to normalcy and stability despite its core principle of non-interference.
"A special Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting will be convened via videoconference tomorrow, where we'll listen to the representative of the Myanmar military authorities," he said, stressing the importance of dialogue and engagement between the relevant stakeholders.
"We must ensure that the mutually beneficial relations that Asean and our partners have built up do not become paralysed by this issue," Vivian said.
Singapore companies and institutions under pressure from Myanmar protesters
Protesters against the military in Myanmar have taken to social media to call for the boycott of Singapore products and brands, such as Tiger Beer and Ya Kun Kaya Toast, claiming that Singapore is "supporting the dictatorship".
Advocacy group Justice for Myanmar also claimed that US$5.7 billion (S$7.5 billion) worth of foreign reserves were deposited in Singapore's banks, such as DBS, OCBC and UOB.
However, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has said in a statement that it has not found significant funds from Myanmar companies and individuals in Singapore's commercial banks.
In addition, Vivian emphasised in Parliament on Feb. 16 that it is crucial to separate political and business decisions, and let businesses make commercial decisions based on their own interests, mentioning that businesses should be able to evaluate the risks for themselves.
He also pointed out that while Singapore is Myanmar's largest foreign investor, the major proportion of Singapore's investments in the country have occurred in the last five years, under the National League of Democracy's (NLD) civilian leadership.
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Top image via CNA's YouTube channel