Riot breaks out in KL

Riot breaks out in KL

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP): Hundreds of inmates at a Malaysian drug rehabilitation center pelted police with hard objects and torched buildings and vehicles in an overnight rampage, the national Bernama agency reported Saturday.

The more than 400 inmates also looted and damaged property on Friday before surrendering on Saturday morning, Bernama said. Damages were estimated at more than 700,000 ringgit (US$184,000). Twelve of the inmates who escaped from the government-run center in southern Malaysia were still on the loose, police said.

The riots started on Friday night during a surprise check after guards at the center caught one of inmates with drugs, the report said. The center's 72 employees were unharmed.

Several riots in drug centers in Malaysia have been reported. Drug addicts convicted in Malaysian courts are required to undergo a mandatory two-year treatment at such centers.