Hong Kong’s customs chief has said the Singapore government had never been a target for investigation throughout the armoured vehicles saga, and dismissed suggestions that the central government had been stepping on its toes. The commissioner of the Department of Customs and Excise, Roy Tang Yun-kwong, revealed the details on Wednesday, a day after Hong Kong. The seizure of the vehicles, which had come from Taiwan, was viewed by the media and analysts as Beijing’s warning to Singapore for backing US policy over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Beijing also used the incident to put pressure on Singapore over its military relationship with Taiwan. When asked if the department needed to report to the central government on the investigation’s progress or decisions, Tang said: “No, we are a Hong Kong law enforcement agency. “The authority of the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department is based on the Hong Kong law. No other institutions had been involved (in the case)… I saw the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman mentioning the matter on television.” Tang said the department completed the probe on Tuesday and found the Lion City had no role to play, since it was only the consignee of the armoured troop carriers.
