Mystery surrounded Mugabe’s trip to Singapore

The United States embassy in Singapore did not know what to make of reports that President Robert Mugabe was in Singapore for medical treatment.

An embassy official said he had been informed by an American resident in Singapore that he had seen Mugabe at the clinic of a radiation oncologist who confirmed that Mugabe had indeed been at the clinic.

Although Mugabe had been to Singapore on several occasions the embassy said it could not tell whether he was a medical tourist or not because the government of Singapore never confirmed, denied, or commented on stories about why Mugabe was on the island or if he ever was there.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 09SINGAPORE1254, ROBERT MUGABE REPORTEDLY IN SINGAPORE FOR MEDICAL

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VZCZCXYZ0000

OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHGP #1254 3630925

ZNY CCCCC ZZH

O 290925Z DEC 09

FM AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE

TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7599

INFO RUEHSB/AMEMBASSY HARARE 0014

RUEHKL/AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR 5033

RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC

RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SINGAPORE 001254

SIPDIS

EAP/MTS – M. COPPOLA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/29/2019

TAGS: PREL PINR SN ZI

SUBJECT: ROBERT MUGABE REPORTEDLY IN SINGAPORE FOR MEDICAL

TREATMENT

Classified By: CDA Joel Ehrendreich for reason 1.4(d)

¶1. (SBU) A reputable private-sector source told CDA that he

saw Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe arrive in the office

of a radiation oncologist at Gleneagles, a major hospital in

Singapore, on December 29. The source, an American resident

in Singapore who is a patient of the radiation oncologist,

personally observed Mugabe’s arrival at the clinic. The

source added that he asked the physician to confirm that it

was in fact Mugabe, and the physician did so. Although Post

considers this information to be credible, Post is not able

to provide independent confirmation of Mugabe’s presence in

Singapore or his reasons for being here.

¶2. (C) If Robert Mugabe is indeed in Singapore, it may not

be his first visit as a medical tourist. There have been

previous public reports of Mugabe visiting Singapore for

treatment over the past year, but none from a source whose

credibility Post could evaluate. Various, mostly on-line,

sources have claimed that Mugabe came to Singapore for

prostate cancer treatment in May 2008, for treatment again in

August 2008, and for unknown reasons (possibly a family

holiday) in January 2009. The government of Singapore has

never confirmed, denied, or otherwise commented on these

stories, and if such visits took place, they were kept very

quiet.

EHRENDREICH

Visit Embassy Singapore’s Classified website:

http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/singapore/ind ex.cfm

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