With no extradition treaty between Thailand and Singapore, things are complicated in the case for David James Roach, the Canadian suspect who allegedly robbed $30,000 from a Standard Chartered bank in Holland Village.
Time is running out — authorities can’t keep the 27-year-old man in the country for long, because they merely cancelled his right to stay in Thailand. Currently detained at Bangkok’s Suan Plu Immigration Detention Centre, Roach has refused to cooperate with the investigations, requesting to speak only to the Canadian embassy.
The thing is, Canada does have an extradition treaty with Thailand, and Roach may very well be sent back home to face punishment, to the ire of Singapore.
“If the Thai authorities are unable to return the suspect directly to Singapore we will pursue the suspect’s return from whichever country Thailand eventually decides to send the suspect to,” said the Singapore Police Force. A “mutual legal assistance request” has also been made to forward the evidence seized from the suspect — namely the USD27,000, several notes and a notebook found at the scene during the suspect’s arrest.
After successfully robbing the Standard Chartered bank with a piece of paper, Roach wasn’t exactly meticulous in planning his getaway. Though he managed to flee the country on the same day of the robbery, he lingered around at a hostel in Bangkok for three days before Thai authorities descended upon him.
The Straits Times reported that police are still waiting for the results of a court decision on whether the alleged bank robber can be extradited here — a decision that can only be made after July 20 due to public holidays.
