Hong Kong\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s progress or decisions, Tang said: \u201cNo, we are a Hong Kong law enforcement agency. \u201cThe 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.\u201d 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. \u201cIn the investigation process, we did not detect any roles of the Singapore government in the possible breach of the licensing requirement,\u201d Tang said. \u201cSo the Singapore government from the very beginning has not been the subject of investigation.\u201d The authority announced on Tuesday that the shipment of the SAF Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicles would be returned to the Lion City following the completion of investigations over a suspected breach of local laws governing the import, export and transhipment of strategic commodities. Tang said the department would soon prosecute concerning parties as it had found sufficient evidence that \u201csomeone\u201d had violated the Import and Export (Strategic Commodities) Regulations. But he refused to give any names or further details of the charges. The vehicles, which are being kept at the customs cargo examination facility in Tuen Mun, were found by Hong Kong customs on November 23 in 12 containers en route to Singapore from the Taiwanese port of Kaohsiung without appropriate permits. Tang added the shipping company could pick up the vehicles from Tuen Mun any time, and could ship them to Singapore once it obtained the permit from the Trade and Industry Department. The saga triggered a sharp reaction from China. Beijing has long frowned upon Singapore\u2019s close military ties with Taiwan, which it regards as a renegade province. Land-scarce Singapore, in turn, says it needs to conduct overseas exercises to keep its forces battle ready. It has also asserted its position that the vehicles enjoyed sovereign immunity as Singaporean property and could not legally be detained by another country.<\/p>\n