Singapore, Monday
TWO British servicemen facing a possible caning and 14 years prison in Singapore are expected to be released from jail and handed over to UK military authorities, it was revealed to-night.
The Singaporean authorities are keen to avoid the adverse international publicity that ac-companied the caning of teen-age American student Michael Fay in 1994.
Royal Marine Richard Britten, 22, from Plymouth, and Craftsman John Thomson King, 20, from Alford, Aber-deenshire, on attachment to the marines, have been held in the Queenstown Remand Centre accused of robbing a taxi-driver of #19.
Arrested by Singapore auth-orities after a night's shore leave from their ship, Sir Galahad, they were unable to raise bail of #4000 each.
But in a special deal, Singapore has notified the British authorities that it is prepared to hand over the men to British military justice.
Once the deal is sealed, it is expected that the two men will be flown back to Britain, while the Royal Navy carry out a full inquiry into the alleged incident.
The soldiers, who could be dismissed from the Services if found guilty, had been warned before reaching Singapore of the need to observe local laws and customs strictly.
They were expected to deny stealing the money from Tong Chin Huat, 53, as he drove them to their ship on May 3.
If found guilty in Singapore, they could have received at least 12 strokes of the cane.
Corporal punishment is carried out on bare buttocks by a martial arts expert wielding a 4ft rattan cane, which leaves the victim unable to sit down comfortably for a considerable time.
The caning is so ferocious that the cane, which is drenched in antiseptic, usually splits after three or four strokes.
Singapore suffered considerable international criticism when Mr Fay was lashed for vandalism.
US President Bill Clinton sent a personal appeal for clemency, but the sentence went ahead, although the number of strokes was cut from six to four.
The British pair were among thousands of Army, Navy and RAF personnel taking part in a major deployment to the Far East this year, code-named Ocean Wave.
They left Britain in January and were expected home during August after a series of exercises in Thailand, Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia.
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