This is the 15th article in the series, 'Declassified: Apartheid Profits'. While researching the recently published book Apartheid Guns and Money: A Tale of Profit, Open Secrets collected approximately 40,000 archival documents from 25 archives in seven countries. This treasure trove contains damning details of the individuals and corporations that propped up apartheid and profited in return. Many of these documents were kept secret until now. Most remain hidden despite South Africa's transition to democracy. OPEN SECRETS believes that it is vital to allow the public to scrutinise the primary evidence. This week we unpack the diplomatic and military intelligence links between the apartheid regime and Singapore.
The 'Declassified' series released over the last three months has established that each member of the Permanent Five on the UN Security Council assisted the apartheid regime to bust sanctions. Tasked with enforcing the embargo that aimed to end the regime, they chose to undermine it for profit and political gain. They were not alone. The book Apartheid Guns and Money identified 47 other countries that assisted the apartheid regime in evading sanctions - some as proxies for larger countries, and others of their own accord. Singapore is one of the many intriguing...