Dickson Yeo probe shows no direct threat to Singapore's security: MHA
Dickson Yeo (pictured), a Singaporean academic, carried out various tasks given to him by his foreign handlers from 2016 to 2019 and was paid for them.
SINGAPORE — Investigations on the arrest of Dickson Yeo, who recently pleaded guilty in the United States to working for Chinese intelligence, have not revealed any direct threat to Singapore’s security, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Sunday (July 26).
Separately, the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy from the National University of Singapore (NUS) said that it has terminated his PhD candidature with immediate effect.
In response to media queries, MHA said that it was informed by the US authorities of the Singaporean's arrest in November 2019.
"Investigations have not revealed any direct threat to Singapore’s security," MHA said.
"Singaporeans are expected to abide by the laws of the country that they visit or reside in. MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) is rendering the appropriate consular assistance, as required, to Yeo.”
Yeo, 39, pleaded guilty in a federal court in Washington on July 24 to one charge of operating illegally as a foreign agent, the US Justice Department said.
He admitted to working for Chinese intelligence between 2015 and 2019 "to spot and assess Americans with access to valuable non-public information, including US military and government employees with high-level security clearances".
He paid some of those individuals to write reports that were ostensibly for his clients in Asia, then handing the reports to the Chinese government.
Yeo was a doctoral degree candidate at NUS’ Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.
The school said on Sunday that he enrolled as a PhD student in its Public Policy programme in 2015.
"In 2019, he had applied for, and was granted, a leave of absence," the school said.
"In light of the information released by the US Department of Justice, Mr Yeo’s PhD candidature has been terminated with immediate effect and he is no longer a student at the school."
Yeo will be sentenced on Oct 9, and he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.
Asked about the case on Sunday, Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said that he has no “privilege information” apart from what has already been published in the media.
He added that MFA’s duty is to provide consular assistance to Yeo, “according to his needs”.
