Scores of prisoners escape Indonesian jail amid allegations of overcrowding, discrimination

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Indonesian authorities are searching for scores of inmates who have escaped from an overcrowded prison on Sumatra island.

Key points: 200 to 250 prisoners escaped, with 130 quickly recaptured

They escaped after being let out of cells for Friday prayers

Overcrowding and discontent at special treatment of some prisoners were factors

Hundreds of police and soldiers were deployed near Sialang Bungkuk Prison in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau province, and were blockading roads to the capital and other provinces, said Justice and Human Rights Ministry official Wayan Dusak.

Mr Dusak said the escape occurred when prisoners were let out of their cells to take part in Friday prayers and overwhelmed the six guards on duty.

Local police spokesman Colonel Guntur Aryo Tejo estimated the number of prisoners who escaped to be around 200 to 250, of whom 130 had been recaptured.

Some surrendered, while others were captured by police or residents, Mr Tejo said.

He added that some were reportedly beaten by residents who found them trying to steal their motorbikes.

Local television showed dozens of men running from the prison and some being captured by police.

The prison, which has a capacity of 361, was holding more than 1,870 people, Mr Tejo said.

"It seemed that many of the inmates alleged that there was discrimination in treatment of those accused of general crimes compared to special ones," Mr Tejo said, referring to officials and others accused of corruption who allegedly received better treatment.

In the capital Jakarta, national police spokesman Brigadier General Rikwanto said the jailbreak was sparked by overcrowding.

"A riot occurred in one of the cells inhabited by 100 people because of overcrowding," said Mr Rikwanto.

"That led to a physical clash among the inmates that could not be controlled by the prison guards."

About 300 policemen and soldiers were deployed to guard the prison.

AP

Topics: prisons-and-punishment, government-and-politics, crime, indonesia, asia</s>In Indonesia, inmates are held in often unsanitary conditions at overcrowded prisons. — Reuters pic PEKANBARU, May 6 — Indonesian security forces have rounded up most of the inmates who escaped during a mass breakout from an overcrowded prison on Sumatra island, police said today.

More than 200 inmates broke out of the jail in Pekanbaru city, on Sumatra island, after they were let out of their cells to pray yesterday.

Almost 80 were quickly recaptured after the incident, and today the majority had been rounded up.

“So far 209 inmates have been recaptured or surrendered willingly, many have returned to their cells,” local police spokesman Guntur Aryo Tejo told AFP, adding that the authorities did not have the exact number of inmates still on the loose.

Amateur footage broadcast on local TV stations showed scores of men, some wearing sarongs, scurrying through the gates of the Sialang Bungkuk prison on Friday, with no sign of officials in pursuit.

Most prisoners were recaptured while still near Pekanbaru.

Dozens of the escaped inmates headed directly to another prison where they handed themselves in.

Tejo said the inmates told the police they decided to escape due to inhumane conditions in the prison.

The male-only prison has a capacity of 300 people but was holding 1,870 inmates, with only five guards and a porter on duty at any one time, said the director general of prisons, I Wayan Dusak.

“They also complained about unfair treatment by the prison guards,” Tejo said.

More than a thousand inmates who did not escape the prison were refusing to return to their cells unless the head guard was replaced.

Jailbreaks are common in Indonesia, where inmates are held in often unsanitary conditions at overcrowded prisons.

There was a spate of breakouts in 2013, including one where about 150 prisoners — including terror convicts — escaped from a jail on western Sumatra island. — AFP</s>Indonesia, security forces have rounded up most of the inmates who escaped during a mass breakout from an overcrowded prison on Sumatra island, police said Saturday. About 200 inmates broke out of the jail in Pekanbaru city, on Sumatra island, after they were let out of their cells to pray.

 Almost 80 were quickly recaptured after the incident, and on Saturday the majority had been rounded up.—AFP</s>PEKANBARU, Indonesia: Indonesian security forces have rounded up most of the inmates who escaped during a mass breakout from an overcrowded prison on Sumatra island, police said on Saturday. More than 200 inmates broke out of the jail in Pekanbaru city after they were let out of their cells to pray on Friday. Almost 80 were quickly recaptured after the incident, and on Saturday the majority had been rounded up. “So far 209 inmates have been recaptured or surrendered willingly, many have returned to their cells,” local police spokesman Guntur Aryo Tejo told Agence France-Presse.</s>JAKARTA
• About 200 inmates broke out of an overcrowded prison in western Indonesia yesterday, rushing out of the jail after they were let out of their cells to pray, officials said.

However, almost 80 of them were recaptured soon after the incident.

The prison guards had allowed inmates to join Friday prayers, but the inmates instead headed towards the main door of the jail in Pekanbaru city, on Sumatra island, and tried to break through it.

When that failed, they fled through a side entrance and broke through a wire fence of the jail, which was guarded by only a handful of officers, Indonesia's director- general of prisons I Wayan Dusak told Agence France-Presse.

Amateur footage that was broadcast on local television stations showed scores of men, some wearing sarongs, scurrying through the gates of the Sialang Bungkuk prison, with no sign of officials in pursuit.

"About 200 escaped, but at least 77 people have been recaptured," local police spokesman Guntur Aryo Tejo told AFP.

Television footage showed a police officer in black riot gear holding one man in a headlock.

Police have put up roadblocks in the city and launched a massive manhunt for the inmates who are still on the run.

Inmates had complained about their treatment in the jail in Pekanbaru, Riau province, and accused some guards of being violent, said the Law Ministry's regional office head Ferdinand Siagian, who told Metro TV: "This triggered the incident before Friday prayers."

The male-only prison has a capacity of 300 people but was holding 1,870 inmates, with only five guards and a porter on duty at any one time, Mr Dusak said.

More than a thousand inmates who did not escape the prison were refusing to return to their cells unless the head guard was replaced.

An additional 400 police and military personnel have been deployed to guard the prison, Mr Tejo said.

Jailbreaks are common in Indonesia, where inmates are held in often unsanitary conditions in overcrowded prisons.

There was a spate of breakouts in 2013, including one where about 150 prisoners - including terror convicts - escaped from a jail on western Sumatra island.</s>PEKANBARU, Indonesia — Indonesian authorities said about 200 inmates remained at large two days after a mass escape from an overcrowded prison on Sumatra island.

The prison break Friday occurred when prisoners were let out of their cells at Sialang Bungkuk Prison in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau province, to perform prayers. They broke through a prison door, overwhelming the few guards on duty.

Local police chief Susanto, who goes by one name, said 242 men were recaptured by Sunday morning leaving about 200 still at large.

Authorities were initially uncertain about how many prisoners had escaped from the prison, estimating the numbers at between 100 and 300.

Police said some of the men surrendered or were returned by their families while others were captured by residents, police and soldiers.

Various officials have said the prisoners were angry at poor conditions and treatment. The prison has a capacity of about 360 but according to local police spokesman Guntur Aryo Tejo it is holding more than 1,870 men.

Tejo said four of the recaptured inmates were apprehended by police late Friday about 62 miles (100 kilometers) from the prison on a bus heading for neighboring West Sumatra province.

Hundreds of police and soldiers have been deployed since Friday in the hunt for the prisoners.

Jailbreaks are common in Indonesia where overcrowding has become a significant problem in prisons that are struggling to cope with poor funding and an influx of people arrested under a war on drugs.

Friday's escape was the biggest since July 2013 when about 240 prisoners, including several convicted terrorists, escaped following a deadly riot at a prison in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra province.</s>About 200 prisoners in Indonesia broke out of an overcrowded jail on Sumatra island on Friday, tearing down a gate near a mosque in the prison complex after being allowed out of their cells to pray, officials said.

JAKARTA: About 200 prisoners in Indonesia broke out of an overcrowded jail on Sumatra island on Friday, tearing down a gate near a mosque in the prison complex after being allowed out of their cells to pray, officials said.

Inmates had complained about their treatment in the jail in Pekanbaru, Riau province, and accused some guards of being violent, said Ferdinand Siagian, head of the regional office of the Law Ministry.

"This triggered the incident before Friday prayers,” Siagian told Metro TV.

Guntur Aryo Tejo, a Riau police spokesman, said 77 inmates had been recaptured of the approximately 200 who had escaped. Television footage showed a police officer in black riot gear holding one man in a headlock.

The jail has a capacity of up to 700 inmates but was housing about 1,800 prisoners, Tedjo told Metro TV.</s>About 200 inmates break out of Indonesian jail

A plainclothes policeman detains a prisoner who escaped from the Sialang Bungkuk jail in Pekanbaru on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, May 5, 2017 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. — Handout via ReutersJAKARTA, May 5 — About 200 prisoners in Indonesia broke out of an overcrowded jail on Sumatra island today, tearing down a gate near a mosque in the prison complex after being allowed out of their cells to pray, officials said.

Inmates had complained about their treatment in the jail in Pekanbaru, Riau province, and accused some guards of being violent, said Ferdinand Siagian, head of the regional office of the Law Ministry.

Guntur Aryo Tejo, a Riau police spokesman, said 77 inmates had been recaptured of the approximately 200 who had escaped. Television footage showed a police officer in black riot gear holding one man in a headlock.

The jail has a capacity of up to 700 inmates but was housing about 1,800 prisoners, Tejo told Metro TV. — Reuters</s>Around 250 prisoners have broken out of an overcrowded prison on Sumatra Island, Indonesia.

The men had been allowed out of their cells to pray earlier on May 5 when they escaped from the prison complex by tearing down a gate.

It's thought that the prisoners had become frustrated with their treatment at the prison in Pekanbaru, Riau province.

The prison has a capacity of up to 361 inmates but at the time of the mass breakout it had been home to around 1,800 prisoners, police spokesman Guntur Aryo Tejo told reporters.

He estimated that around 200-250 prisoners escaped from the detention centre.

Around 130 of them have since been recaptured by both police and residents. Some residents found the inmates trying to steal their motorbikes.

Local television reports show hundreds of prisoners fleeing and scaling fences, trying to avoid recapture.

Prisoners tore down a gate near a mosque inside the prison complex after they were allowed out of their cells for Friday prayers.

According to AFP, they headed to the main door of the jail and tried to break though it. When this failed they headed for the side entrance and broke through a wire fence.

According to Ferdinand Siagian, head of the regional office of the Law Ministry, inmates had complained about their treatment in the jail and had accused some guards of being violent towards them.

While in the capital, Jakarta national police spokesman Brigadier General Rikwanto said the jailbreak was sparked by overcrowding.

He said: 'A riot occurred in one of the cells inhabited by 100 people because of overcrowding. That led to a physical clash among the inmates that could not be controlled by the prison guards.'

Police have put up road blocks in the city to look for the inmates still on the run.

AFP has reported that more than a thousand inmates who did not flee the prison are refusing to return to their cells unless the head guard is replaced.

An additional 400 police and military personnel have been deployed to guard the prison.

Dramatic photos show the police's attempt to recapture those that had escaped. Prisoners can be seen with cuts to their faces as they are dragged back into custody.

Other captured prisoners can be seen tied up with make-shift handcuffs.

In other images, villagers can be seen beating prisoners found in the streets.</s>PEKANBARU, Indonesia — Indonesian authorities said about 200 inmates remained at large after a mass escape from an overcrowded prison on Sumatra island.

The prison break Friday occurred when prisoners were let out of their cells at Sialang Bungkuk Prison in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau province, to perform prayers.

Local police chief Susanto, who goes by one name, said 242 men were recaptured by Sunday morning leaving about 200 still at large.

Authorities were initially uncertain about how many prisoners had escaped from the prison.

Police said some of the men surrendered or were returned by their families while others were captured by residents, police and soldiers.
Hundreds of prisoners escape from an overcrowded jail in Pekanbaru, Indonesia.