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.