Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan's Written Replies to Parliamentary Questions, 7 April 2026

QUESTIONS

Ms Joan Pereira: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs in view of the escalation of conflicts in the Middle East, whether the Ministry can provide an update of the measures to assist Singaporeans there, including consular outreach, personal safety guidance and potential evacuation assistance.

Mr Alex Yam: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs in light of the escalating conflict in the Middle East (a) how many Singaporeans are currently registered as residing in or travelling within affected countries in the region; (b) what contingency plans are in place for a possible mass evacuation should the situation worsen; and (c) how is the Ministry supporting Singaporeans who have chosen to remain there.

REPLY

When the conflict in the Middle East deteriorated and commercial flights were halted in March 2026, the Singapore Government mounted four repatriation flights from Muscat, Riyadh and Jeddah to bring stranded Singaporeans home. Our Overseas Missions organised 13 overland bus journeys to ferry Singaporeans in the UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait to the repatriation flights. In total, 618 Singaporeans, Permanent Residents, and their dependants were repatriated. The spare seats on the flights were offered to 84 foreign nationals from Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.

More than 2,000 Singaporeans who eRegistered with MFA remain in the Middle East currently. Our Overseas Missions remain in close contact with them and provide updates on the local situation. With the resumption of commercial flights, there are no current plans to mount additional repatriation flights.

MFA’s Travel Advisory for the Middle East remains valid. We urge Singaporeans to defer all travel to the region.

QUESTION

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) how many Singaporean public officers have been seconded to the ASEAN Secretariat in each of the last five years; (b) what roles have they been working in; and (c) whether there are plans to increase the number of Singaporean secondments at the Secretariat before, during and after Singapore’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2027. 

REPLY

Most of the positions in the ASEAN Secretariat are filled via open recruitment. ASEAN Member States can nominate officers to fill leadership positions. These are the ASEAN Secretary-General, which is appointed by ASEAN Member States on a rotational basis, and the four Deputy Secretaries-General (DSGs), which are similarly appointed or openly recruited based on merit, depending on the specific position. Singaporean public sector officers who fill such leadership positions would be considered secondees from the Government. Over the last five years, there has been one such secondee, Mr Satvinder Singh, whom Singapore successfully nominated as the DSG for the ASEAN Economic Community for two consecutive terms through an open and competitive recruitment process. It will be Singapore’s turn to appoint the DSG for ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community in 2027.

Beyond leadership positions, MFA is exploring additional secondment opportunities for our officers and public officers from other Ministries to the ASEAN Secretariat in the lead-up to, during, and beyond Singapore’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2027. Such secondments allow us to broaden our experience and knowledge base of international diplomacy and ASEAN tradecraft more widely across the Public Service. 

QUESTION

Ms Eileen Chong Pei Shan: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs (a) what specific outcome metrics does the Ministry use to assess whether its foreign policy public education engagements have improved participants' understanding of Singapore's strategic interests; (b) whether any longitudinal tracking of comprehension or attitude change has been conducted; and (c) if not, whether the Ministry intends to establish such metrics.

REPLY

The Government has stepped up public engagement to explain our foreign policy fundamentals and responses to key international developments to Singaporeans and to hear their views. We do this through dialogue sessions across segments of society, including students, youths, businesses and community leaders. We collect post-engagement feedback to ensure our content remains current and relevant, and to improve our engagement methods. Responses from the public engagement sessions have been positive, with an overwhelming majority of participants indicating that the sessions enhanced their understanding of Singapore’s foreign policy.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

7 APRIL 2026