Hong Kong customs is expected to press charges against shipping company APL and the captain of the container ship that transported nine Terrex military vehicles belonging to the Singapore Armed Forces into the Chinese city in November, according to a media report on Wednesday (22 March).
What happened?
APL is likely to be given a summons while the captain is to be charged with importing strategic commodities without a required license, according to a government source with knowledge of the case, said the report by the South China Morning Post.
The legal development comes after Hong Kong customs sought legal advice from the Department of Justice, the report added.
Vehicles seized:
APL was tasked to ship the vehicles from Taiwan to Singapore when they were seized at the Kwai Chung Container Terminal in Hong Kong on 23 November.
The company subsequently held several meetings with Hong Kong customs over the seizure but the issue was unresolved.
In response to the seizure, Beijing lodged an official diplomatic complaint with Singapore in November over its long-standing military ties with Taiwan. Singapore has sent its troops to Taiwan for training since the 1970s.
Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen had told Parliament that the vehicles enjoy sovereign immunity and cannot legally be confiscated by other countries.
After two months of deadlock, the Singapore government announced in January that the vehicles would be returned to the Republic. The vehicles, along with other equipment, arrived on 30 January.
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Source: South China Morning Post
