Thai authorities will extradite a Canadian man suspected of robbing a bank in Singapore using a single piece of paper.
David James Roach, 26, declined to give a statement and requested a lawyer, according to national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda.
Pol Gen Chakthip said at a news conference Wednesday morning that Singaporean authorities on Sunday had asked their Thai counterparts to find the suspect in the robbery of Standard Chartered Bank's Holland Village Park branch in Singapore on July 7.
The robber strolled into the Standard Chartered branch around lunchtime and handed staff a note with his demands. He got away with S$30,000 (780,000 baht) in cash.
The Straits Times also reported on Wednesday police found in his notebook escape plans to Chiang Mai and then Dubai, as well as the phrases he wrote on the piece of paper to rob the bank -- "This is a robbery, I have a weapon, give me money, don't call police".
The man wanted under an arrest warrant in Singapore was believed to have fled the city state and hid in an Asean country.
After looking into the case, Thai police found Mr Roach had travelled to Thailand as a tourist hours after the bank heist on an AirAsia flight landing at Don Mueang airport. He later stayed at the Box Packer Hostel on Phaya Thai Road.
Pol Gen Chaktip said the police arrested the man on Sunday and seized around 720,000 baht in his room. Some of the money was reportedly spent on buying a notebook computer, he said.
Mr Roach's right to stay in Thailand was subsequently revoked under the Immigration Act and he would be sent to Singapore and put on Thailand's re-entry blacklist.
The Straits Times quoted Thai immigration police chief Nathatorn Prousoontorn as saying Singapore's deputy police chief personally called Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan about the case.
The Thai police have been coordinating with Singaporean and Canadian police on the case. Canadian officials are trying to get Mr Roach sent back to Canada, according to The Straits Times.
Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda (right) talks to reporters at the briefing in Bangkok on Wednesday morning. (Photo by Pawat Laopaisarntaksin)