SINGAPORE – Singapore said on Tuesday it had agreed to a request from Britain not to carry out corporal punishment on a suspected bank robber if he is extradited to face charges in the city-state.

David Roach, a Canadian national who allegedly stole $30,000 from a Standard Chartered bank branch in July 2016, was detained in Britain in January on an extradition request from Singapore.

He is being sought on one count of robbery, which carries a minimum prison sentence of two years and at least six strokes of the cane, and on one count of money laundering.

“The Singapore government has agreed to the UK authorities’request. UK extradition laws prohibit UK from extraditing Roach to Singapore in the absence of such an assurance,” the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.

“The provision of the assurance is being done to try and ensure that Roach does not escape justice, and does not affect the general position taken by Singapore on corporal punishment. The UK Courts will decide whether to extradite Roach.”

The rare bank robbery in Singapore sparked a flurry of debate about whether the country has grown too complacent about security.

Singapore has very low levels of crime, thanks in part to decades of strict policing and tough punishments, ranging from death for drug trafficking and murder to prison and caning for lesser crimes.

A 20-year-old man was arrested for attempted suicide at Block 613C Punggol Drive on Monday (Feb 19).

Stomp contributor Hazel was on her way home when she noticed a huge crowd had gathered below her block.

“There were police cars and ambulances. The area was cordoned off,” she said.

When she looked up, she saw a man sitting on a ledge.

“I think he was on the top floor, the 16th storey,” she said.

In response to Stomp’s media queries, a police spokesman said that the police were alerted at 7.22pm to a case of attempted suicide at said location.

“A 20-year-old man was arrested in relation to the case,” he said.

Police investigations are ongoing.

A male customer assaulted an employee at a 7-Eleven store in Changi Village after he was unable to purchase alcohol there last Thursday (Feb 15) night.

Stomp contributor Firdaus alerted Stomp to the incident after witnessing the attack which lasted for about 30 seconds.

A photo that he took shows the employee with a bloodied face. There was also blood on his arm, staff T-shirt, and on the walls.

“He was the only staff around and he was beaten up by the customer,” Firdaus told Stomp.

“The employee called the police and ambulance himself.”

The 43-year-old staff was subsequently taken to Changi General Hospital (CGH) for treatment and is currently on medical leave.

In response to Stomp’s queries, a 7-Eleven spokesman said the company is aware of the incident, which took place at 10.37pm, and that the male customer apparently “got angry and upset that he was unable to purchase beer at the store.”

“All cabinets containing alcohol are locked as per the retail sales restrictions under the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act,” the spokesman added.

Under the law, drinking is banned in all public places from 10.30pm to 7am. Retail shops are also not allowed to sell takeaway alcohol from 10.30pm to 7am.

The spokesman told Stomp: “The police was notified and the team member was immediately sent to Changi Hospital where he received outpatient treatment. He is currently on medical leave and recovering at home.

“The 7-Eleven team has visited him and will continue to provide all necessary assistance to him and his family to help in his recovery following this incident.”

The spokesman also said that 7-Eleven is cooperating fully with the police in their investigations.

Responding to a Stomp query, the police said they were alerted to a case of Voluntarily Causing Hurt at 1 Changi Village Road at 10.29pm.

Police investigations are ongoing.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) also told Stomp that it was alerted to the incident at around 10.40pm and conveyed one person to CGH.

Singapore said Monday (Feb 20) it would impose a carbon tax from next year to cut its greenhouse gas emissions and make companies more competitive as global agreements on climate change take effect.

Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat said the tax would be levied on all facilities producing 25,000 tonnes or more of greenhouse gas emissions a year.

The tax, to be applied to all sectors, will be $5.0 per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions from 2019 to 2023, after which the levy will be reviewed and possibly raised to between $10 and $15 per tonne by 2030.

“Singapore produces less carbon emissions per dollar of GDP than most countries,” he said, as he unveiled the measure as part of the city-state’s 2018 budget.

“We intend to further reduce our emissions intensity to make a bigger effort to combat climate change.”

Major economies have been scrambling to cut greenhouse gas emissions amid warnings from scientists about the potentially devastating impacts of climate change.

The most notable step has been the 197-nation Paris Agreement, inked in 2015, which calls for limiting global warming to “well under” 2 degrees Celsius, and “pursuing efforts” to cap warming at 1.5 degrees C.

The levy will affect about 30-40 companies, mainly from the petroleum refining, chemicals and semiconductor sectors, the Straits Times reported.

Singapore ranks 26th out of 142 countries in terms of emissions per capita based on the latest International Energy Agency data largely due to its small size and dense population, according to the government.

Heng said the new carbon tax would encourage businesses to take measures to reduce emissions, making them more competitive as tighter limits are imposed by more countries when international deals come into force.

The government would provide support to companies to help them become energy-efficient, he added.

Singapore expects to collect carbon tax revenues of nearly $1 billion in the first five years, but the government is willing to spend more than that to help companies, he said.