Singapore’s Defence Minister, Dr Ng Eng Hen, posted on his Facebook account about his thoughts on the current crisis in Ukraine.
He started his post by saying that he had earlier mentioned that the mood at the Munich Security Conference earlier this year was quite sombre and many leaders which he had spoken to at the conference felt that Ukraine will come under attack soon.
He added that whatever that was said had happened as he touched down back into Singapore and it is hard to come to terms with this act of aggression after the world had relatively enjoyed peace for 80 years.
He also said that due to this war, countless of innocent lives will be lost and disrupted and it will be followed by hardship and suffering.
Dr Ng continues by saying that he hopes and pray that peace will restore in Ukraine soon and Singapore must also learn that we can never take the peaceful times for granted.
He also resolved to strengthen the defence capabilities of Singapore through strengthening the capabilities of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and also through partnerships with countries who think the same as us.
Here is what Dr Ng posted
“I reported that the mood at the Munich Security Conference was sombre this year. The assessment of many leaders I spoke with was that an attack on Ukraine was imminent. Even as I touched down in Singapore, it has come to pass. It’s hard to reconcile this aggression after experiencing nearly 80 years of relative peace – cities within Ukraine have been turned into war zones overnight. Lives of innocent civilians there will be disrupted or lost. Hardship and suffering will inevitably follow.
We continue to hope and pray for peace to be restored. But we remind ourselves too, never to take peace for granted, and resolve for Singapore to strengthen our defence deterrence through a capable SAF and partnerships with like-minded countries.”
Image source: Ng Eng Hen/Facebook, The Singapore Army/Facebook