37 escaped convicts still loose on Batam

37 escaped convicts still loose on Batam

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Riau Provincial Police have recaptured just 15 out of a total
52 inmates who escaped from an overcrowded prison on Batam island
in September, despite a month-long police pursuit.

Provincial Police chief Brig. Gen. Deddy S. Komaruddin called
on the people of Riau to help the police track down and capture
the convicts.

"We are still looking for the other 37 inmates. Without the
help of the people, the convicts will not be successfully
recaptured," Deddy said in the Riau capital of Pekanbaru, quoted
as saying by Antara news agency.

The 52 inmates -- all charged in drug cases -- escaped by
cutting through the iron bars of their cells and attacking the
guards on Sept. 7.

The 52 escaped prisoners were serving sentences of between one
and eight years. Two of the escapees -- Iwan and Agam -- were
still awaiting trial on charges of possessing 230 kilograms of
marijuana.

At least 11 of the inmates were captured a few hours after
they fled, but the majority of them managed to flee the prison
area. They are believed to be still on Batam.

Deddy said that the police force had tightened surveillance at
several points in Batam that the inmates might use to flee the
area, including Batam seaports.

"They can't flee out of the Batam area," he said.

But, he acknowledged that the large area of Batam was a
problem that the police force must cope with, in order to
recapture the inmates.

Another problem was the possibility that the inmates managed
to get a fake identity and mix with local residents.

He asserted that Batam residents must help the police to
recapture the inmates, by reporting the men to the police, if
they found someone suspicious around them.

"Again, without the help of society, we can't put them back
jail," he said.

The escape of the inmates has drawn controversy in Jakarta.

Legal observers criticized the management of the prison by the
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, which has been called
inhumane.

For example, the prison was only built for a maximum of 220
prisoners, but before the inmates fled, it had at least 509
prisoners.