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We will act: Singapore

SINGAPORE: Singapore said on Saturday it “will act appropriately, if the allegation [about a North Korean ship] is true.” According to reports from Washington, the ship, Kang Nam, suspected to be laden with nuclear contraband, is heading in the direction of the city-state.

Asked about this, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here said: “Singapore takes seriously the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, their means of delivery and related materials.” The spokesperson did not, however, refer directly to the movement of the ship or its suspected cargo.

Singapore is a participant in the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), a multilateral coalition for suitable interceptions and inspections of ships suspected of carrying any type of cargo related to nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

The U.S. is assessing the movement of this ship under the prism of the latest United Nations Security Council Resolution 1874 that imposed sanctions on North Korea for its second nuclear-weapon test in May. This was indicated by Michael Mullen, Chairman of U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a press conference in Washington on Friday.

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