Countries with Extradition Treaties with Singapore

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Law (a) how many countries have signed bilateral extradition treaties with Singapore; (b) why there is no extradition treaty with Thailand; and (c) what are the considerations before Singapore seeks an extradition treaty with another country.

Madam, Singapore has bilateral extradition treaties with the United States, Hong Kong and Germany, and extradition arrangements with 40 declared Commonwealth countries, including Canada, under the London Scheme for Extradition within the Commonwealth.

We also have special extradition arrangements with Malaysia and Brunei based on the endorsement of arrest warrants. We have signed an Extradition Treaty and a Defence Cooperation Agreement as a package with Indonesia, which is pending ratification by Indonesia. Singapore is also a party to a number of multilateral instruments which provide for extradition. These include the International Convention against the Taking of Hostages and the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings.

As a responsible and effective member of the international community, we are committed to facilitating greater international cooperation to combat transnational crime, in accordance with our domestic laws and international obligations.

For Singapore to have an extradition treaty with another country, for example, Thailand, there must, first, be a common desire from both countries to have an arrangement for the reciprocal handing over of fugitives in the interest of law and order. Both countries must find it mutually beneficial to enter into such an arrangement. The next step is then to examine each other's legal systems and procedures to determine compatibility. Sometimes, these arrangements are easier to conclude when countries come from the same legal traditions and have very similar legal systems and procedures. Where there is greater divergence in the respective legal systems and procedures, the differences will need to be rationalised or a consensus reached as to the legal procedures to be applied before an arrangement can be concluded.

Mdm Speaker, without an extradition agreement, as what happened in the famous robbery at Holland Village, the culprit cannot be brought back to Singapore. So, it has led many people to ask: what if there are more foreigners who come here and commit crime and then run to Thailand? I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State whether there is a plan to sign more such extradition agreements with our neighbouring countries.

Mdm Speaker, as I indicated in my response earlier, it much really depends on the country in question because there are a number of factors at play. Compatibility of legal systems is one of them, obviously. But in the context of our neighbours, I am able to say that ASEAN has been discussing a model ASEAN Extradition Treaty as a sort of template, and this model will, when finalised, provide a useful basis for ASEAN member states in their own bilateral negotiations for extradition treaties with one another. So, it is something that is being looked at, a sort of framework that member countries can tap on should it turn out that the circumstances and conditions are right for them to enter into bilateral arrangements.