Singapore's most wanted in the 1970s

Once Singapore's most wanted, gangster Roland Tan dies after 51 years on the run

72-year-old wanted for 1969 Bras Basah murder died of heart attack in Denmark

The funeral of Roland Tan Tong Meng, one of Singapore's most notorious fugitives, was streamed live on Facebook to a closed group of Singaporeans. PHOTO: JEFFREY TYK SCORPION TAN/ FACEBOOK
The funeral of Roland Tan Tong Meng, one of Singapore's most notorious fugitives, was streamed live on Facebook to a closed group of Singaporeans, including family friends and gang members.
The area near the junction of Bras Basah and North Bridge Road where an attack by armed thugs on Oct 24, 1969, led to the injury of nightclub singer Lim Kai Ho (above) and the death of Lam Cheng Siew. Roland Tan Tong Meng was wanted for the murder. PHOTOS: JEFFREY TYK SCORPION TAN/FACEBOOK, SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS FILE PHOTO
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In the middle of a dinner party in Copenhagen last month, the host, a man of slight build with a bald pate, keeled over and died.

He was no ordinary man. Nicknamed Mr Big in Denmark for his ties to organised crime and drug smuggling, Roland Tan Tong Meng was one of Singapore's most notorious fugitives, long wanted for a murder in October 1969.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on May 10, 2020, with the headline Once Singapore's most wanted, gangster Roland Tan dies after 51 years on the run. Subscribe