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Mar. 15 – Developing countries in Asia have been buying up weapons at an alarming rate over the last five years, which may create instability in the region, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
China and India were ranked first and second, respectively, among the list of the world’s top arms importers during the time period. That may not have come as a surprise, but what is surprising is the rise in weapons purchases among some Southeast Asian nations.
In particular, Malaysia increased its weapons imports 722 percent, Singapore 146 percent, and Indonesia 84 percent over the last five years.
The increase made the small nation of Singapore the seventh largest purchaser of arms from 2005 to 2009; the first time an ASEAN member has been listed among the top 10 since the end of the Vietnam War.
“The current wave of Southeast Asian acquisitions could destabilize the region, jeopardizing decades of peace,” SIPRI’s Asia expert Siemon Wezeman said in the company’s annual report.
Recent purchases have largely been in the form of long-range combat aircraft and naval assets like submarines.
The United States has continued to maintain its position as the world’s largest arms exporter, accounting for 30 percent of global sales, followed by Russia (23 percent), Germany (11 percent), and France (8 percent).
