Mojokerto calm, nine escape Batam prison

Mojokerto calm, nine escape Batam prison

ID Nugroho and Fadli, Surabaya/Batam

Inmates at Mojokerto Penitentiary rioted again on Friday morning,
prompting the authorities to relocate hundreds of inmates to
nearby penitentiaries in East Java province, in order to prevent
the melee from escalating.

However, just as the East Java prison revolt seemed to be
under control, more prison troubles occurred on Batam, in Riau
province, where the police were still searching for at least nine
detainees accused of murder, who reportedly escaped late on
Thursday.

The rampage at the Mojokerto Penitentiary again erupted after
hundreds of inmates protested vociferously against the prison
authorities, who had continued to enforce a prison-wide lock down
through Friday morning, which meant the Muslim prisoners were not
allowed out of their cells to bathe or do their dawn prayers.

The inmates began banging on the bars of their cells and
shouting at the guards noisily. Fearing a greater conflict, the
guards gave in to the prisoners' demands to allow them out to
perform their prayers. Later in the day, the warden decided to
relocate 120 inmates to 10 other prisons in a bid to prevent
another riot. It is still unclear which inmates were transferred
to the other prisons.

"The situation has calmed down somewhat now, after we moved
some of the inmates to other prisons," said chief of Mojokerto
police precinct Adj. Sr. Comr. Yovianus Mahar on Friday
afternoon.

Chaos in the prison broke out on Thursday, after an inmate was
assaulted by a prison guard. As a show of solidarity, hundreds of
other inmates rioted, pelting windows with stones and damaging
other prison facilities. One inmate was wounded and another one
was charged with provoking the riot.

Another inmate, who requested anonymity, explained that the
unpleasant and unfair conditions in the overcrowded prison were
what fueled the conflict. "It's very unfair here. Money rules
everything. For example, some inmates have been freed well before
they've served all the time they were sentenced to, because they
can bribe the prison officials," he said.

The warden of the penitentiary, Mahendra, said he did not want
to comment on such allegations. "I have no authority to speak on
the matter, because the case is being handled by the Ministry of
Justice and Human Rights' East Java office," said Mahendra.

Separately, police and prison guards in Batam were busy
searching for nine inmates who escaped from the Batam district
court in the midst of a trial session on Thursday.

Batam's Chief Prosecutor Chuk Suryosempeno told The Jakarta
Post on Friday that the detainees were still in the trial process
when they escaped. A hacksaw blade might have been given to them
by a visiting friend during the trial.

"We assume that the saw they used to cut through the bars on
the bathroom window was provided by one of the visitors when the
trial session was going on. They could take their time cutting
the bars as it was raining heavily, and the policemen assigned to
them were on guard inside the court room," said Chuk.

The nine escapees are Rudi bin Bambang, Karnain bin Syukur,
Hardiansyah bin Saiful, Syamsul Lubis, Mane bin Alif, Bikson
Sihombing, Budi Tamrin, Hendra Saputra and Sahrul bin Muhdar,
aged between 23 and 30 years old. Seven of them were on trial for
murder.

He added that the police had taken over the manhunt and were
concentrating on the main exit points of the island.

Barelang City Police Chief Sr. Comr. Andayono said, "We have
distributed photos of the fugitives and increased the number of
personnel at every entry and exit point in Batam."

A similar incident occurred at the Batam penitentiary last
year in September when 52 convicts escaped by cutting the metal
bars of their cells. They are still at large.

The country's last prison riot occurred four years ago in
Cipinang Penitentiary in Jakarta, which resulted in the death of
one inmate and injury to several others. The warden of the
penitentiary, Andronicus Takasiliang, was replaced after the
incident in March 2000.

Penitentiaries that received inmates from Mojokerto Prison

No. Penitentiary Inmates

1. Madiun 22

2. Malang 13

3. Probolinggo 15

4. Lamongan 10

5. Pasuruan 2

6. Tuban 7

7. Tulungagung 10

8. Kediri 20

9. Jember 10

10. Nganjuk 11

Source: The Jakarta Post