Bank Robbery @ Holland Village

[PNGMK]

PS, PNGMK :

According to documents seen by Shin Min, Roach was born in Sydney in 1989 but now holds Canadian citizenship.

Just knew there had to be an Australian connection there somewhere, so out of character for a Canadian.

I think Sg did pretty well identifying this guy so quickly. I wonder how they did it? Facial recognition, phone tracking? I guess committing such a crime here is pretty easy given how uncommon it is. The difficult bit is getting away with it.

I don't know. You'd hope the idiot wore gloves and didn't carry a phone with him but who knows. I'm assuming due to the slightly laggard response from the SPF that they only had one source and that was CCTV and it took some time for the facial recognition software to find some matches which had to be double checked by a human. If they had phone tracking they'd have stopped him leaving Singapore. Are tourists finger printed on entry now?

[Sporkin]

most camera installations are not suited for facial recognition needs, short of the direct up front profile cameras at ATMs and checkpoints. We are far far from what movie portrays current capabilities to be.

Sent from my E6653 using Tapatalk

[Hidy Ho]

I am still amused that this Canadian guy thinks he could just sashay his way in, give the female teller a note that says that it is a robbery, I have a weapeon, give me $30k etc, with all the CCTVs and then take the next flight out of Singapore to Bangkok, and get away with it? Pfft.

He did get away with it ... just got caught It was only 30K ... not enough reward for the risk taken, IMHO.

He was a young kid too. In his 20s.

I also read somewhere that he can only be extradited back to his home country and not to Singapore? I'm hoping BBCWatcher can research Wikipedia and get back here with details on this.

[Barnsley]

I am still amused that this Canadian guy thinks he could just sashay his way in, give the female teller a note that says that it is a robbery, I have a weapeon, give me $30k etc, with all the CCTVs and then take the next flight out of Singapore to Bangkok, and get away with it? Pfft.

He did get away with it ... just got caught It was only 30K ... not enough reward for the risk taken, IMHO.

He was a young kid too. In his 20s.

I also read somewhere that he can only be extradited back to his home country and not to Singapore? I'm hoping BBCWatcher can research Wikipedia and get back here with details on this.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Oh, I don't know, the last time it was a guy with a limp, no less. And it also took the authorities of 3rd world country to capture him as well.

[BBCWatcher]

I also read somewhere that he can only be extradited back to his home country and not to Singapore?

He can be deported to Canada -- and probably only to Canada. He has a Canadian travel document, and thus Thailand can deport him there. Thailand would have no reason or justification to deport him to Singapore. Or to Kenya (as another random example), for that matter.

Extradition is a different process. There doesn't seem to be any international legal principle that would bind the Thai government in this situation. Thailand has an extradition treaty with Canada but not with Singapore. Nonetheless (and contrary to popular belief -- perhaps contrary to this suspect's belief), an extradition treaty is not required to extradite. Singapore has formally requested the suspect's extradition from Thailand to Singapore, and the Thai government certainly has the option to honor Singapore's request (and warrant). I expect the Thai government will, within a few days. Thailand and Singapore have good relations.

Conceivably the Canadian government could also make a play for the suspect's extradition to Canada. Press reports seem to hint that the Thai government is leaving open that possibility, as a possibility. (They've used the "e" word but without a specified destination.) I haven't found a copy of the extradition treaty between Canada and Thailand(*), but maybe it says something "interesting." It might provide a right of "first refusal" to Canada with respect to its own citizens, for example. If the suspect is also wanted in Canada to stand trial for an offense there, then his extradition to Canada is a possibility -- especially if the alleged offense in Canada is more serious. But that doesn't mean the suspect necessarily gets away from Singapore. Canada and Singapore do not have an extradition treaty, but they are "extradition partners." In this scenario he could end up in Canada first, stand trial there for something else, serve time in prison there if convicted, then Singapore extradites him from Canada. Wouldn't that be "fun"?

Canada probably would step in and try to obtain custody of their citizen if he faces a death penalty or (in Canada's view at least) some other risk of an injustice in Singapore. That doesn't appear to be the case here, although Canada might want certain assurances (if it get can them).

These governments are all friendly with one another. They'll figure it out. "Best guess" he'll be in Singapore sometime next week, but we'll see.

(*) That might be because it was actually a treaty between the British Empire (including Canada) and Thailand since the treaty dates to 1911, and so I haven't been looking in the right places. I don't think Canada was signing its own, separate treaties until 1932 or thereabouts.

[PNGMK]

I can just imagine BBCW in his wheelchair (I know he has to be housebound now; no one who is out and about could have the time for his/her replies) rooting through the old Singapore archives when the case of Pedra Branca dispute was going on...

I suspect in the case of the bank robber there will be a bit of quid pro quo going on. If your'e a Thai citizen hiding out from the Thai govt in Singapore your door bell is about to be rung.

[x9200]

I believe there must be some international treaties all the players (Canada, Thailand, Singapore) have signed before allowing to detain foreigners based on the accusation from a third country. I am not talking about the extradition. Simply, what is the legal base of his detention?
Is it based on the membership in Interpol?

[PNGMK]

I'm sure the Thai cops thought up a charge. Even just holding the funds alone (stolen goods) would be enough to hold him as a domestic suspect.

[JR8]

I'm sure the Thai cops thought up a charge. Even just holding the funds alone (stolen goods) would be enough to hold him as a domestic suspect.

Does that mean if one of my mates is off on holiday to Thailand I can call the cops at BKK airport, tell them his holiday money is stolen and get his arrested?

The above is joking of course, but presumably an allegation as in this ongoing case has to be made at some inter-governmental/police level?

[PNGMK]

I'm sure the Thai cops thought up a charge. Even just holding the funds alone (stolen goods) would be enough to hold him as a domestic suspect.

Does that mean if one of my mates is off on holiday to Thailand I can call the cops at BKK airport, tell them his holiday money is stolen and get his arrested?

The above is joking of course, but presumably an allegation as in this ongoing case has to be made at some inter-governmental/police level?

Oh absolutely. There is a history of cooperation between the RTP and SPF. I'm sure it didn't need Interpol involvement.

[x9200]

Sometimes I like to idle my time away imagining what BBCW must be like in real life.

If I didn't know he is an American I could bet some serious beer he is a true-blue Singaporean or at least grew up in Singapore.

[Strong Eagle]

I can just imagine BBCW in his wheelchair (I know he has to be housebound now; no one who is out and about could have the time for his/her replies) rooting through the old Singapore archives when the case of Pedra Branca dispute was going on...

Dang! Coffee came out of my nose on that one!!

[Hidy Ho]

If I didn't know he is an American I could bet some serious beer he is a true-blue Singaporean or at least grew up in Singapore.

No (typical) American knows about or watch BBC

[earthfriendly]

Canada, please do not extradite him and allow the SG govt to make an example out of him. It is inhumane. He is just a kid. Give him a chance. Make him do some community work to earn and repay the interest lost on the $30k and have him personally deliver it to the bank. With an apology .