NGO opposes planned prison

NGO opposes planned prison

MALANG, East Java: The plan by East Java's Malang municipal
administration to build a prison on Sempu island to replace
Lowokwaru prison was opposed by an environmental group concerned
with protected species.

"We want the Malang prison to be like Alcatraz (in the United
States) and we plan to move Lowokwaru prison to Sempu island
because the location is strategic and far from noisy activities,"
Malang mayor Peni Suparto said on Tuesday.

He said that the only obstacle to the plan was a building
permit as the island was a protected forest.

ProFauna Indonesia opposed the plan, arguing that it violates
existing regulations, particularly Law No. 5/1990 on conservation
of natural resources and ecosystem. --JP