Rarely does Singapore use strident language or take on a
visibly active role in foreign policy as it has over the increasing bloodshed
in Myanmar.
اضافة اعلان
Worries over regional instability and the credibility of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc in the face of China's
increasing power are at the forefront of the unusually strong stance taken by
the country, several analysts say.
Another factor is that Singapore is the largest foreign
investor in Myanmar.
"Singapore is cognizant that if it doesn't step up now,
having an ASEAN that is relegated to irrelevance is not to its own
interest," said Chong Ja Ian, a political science professor at the
National University of Singapore.
The government did not respond to a Reuters request for
comment on its role in Myanmar.
Surrounded by much bigger neighbors, Singapore has
traditionally kept quiet in public and epitomized ASEAN policy of non-interference
in neighbors' affairs. Myanmar is also a member of the bloc.
The framing of Singapore's initial response to the coup was
word for word the same as for Thailand's in 2014: "Singapore expresses
grave concern... we hope that the situation will return to normal as soon as
possible."
The language has shifted after the bloody suppression of
anti-junta protests — with more than 500 civilians now killed.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the use of lethal force
was "just not acceptable" and "disastrous". Foreign
Minister Vivian Balakrishnan called the situation "an unfolding
tragedy" and the military crackdowns a "national shame".
Its response to the exodus of Muslim Rohingya from Myanmar
during an army offensive, which the United Nations called a genocidal attack,
was lower profile, analysts say.
Amid the current crisis, a diplomatic shuttle has taken
Balakrishnan to Brunei, the current chair of ASEAN, Malaysia, and to Southeast
Asian giant Indonesia, to discuss Myanmar.
On Tuesday, he arrived in China for the first time since
2019 to meet the government's top diplomat, Wang Yi. Although Myanmar was not
on the publicized agenda, Balakrishnan is considered highly likely to raise the
topic.
"ASEAN really does need to step up in this current
crisis and it needs to step up quite quickly," said Choi Shing Kwok,
director of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
For wealthy Singapore, which has fewer than 1 percent of
ASEAN's 650 million people, being part of the bloc gives it a counterweight to
world powers.
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