Six guards charged in jailbreak

Six guards charged in jailbreak

Haidir Anwar Tanjung, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau

Six guards have been named as suspects in the recent escape of 52
inmates from an overcrowded prison on the industrial island of
Batam, Riau province, an official said on Thursday.

The guards face charges of negligence in allowing the
prisoners to escape early on Sunday, the head of the Riau justice
and human rights office, Syaiful Rachman, said in the provincial
capital Pekanbaru.

"I just received the decision from the police in Barelang
today to declare the guards suspects," he told The Jakarta Post.

The six suspects, including Makmur, Lukman, Raja Yuli Indra
and Suprianto, have not been detained, he said.

The two other guards charged with negligence -- Amir Ginting,
34, and Ustad, 40, -- are being treated in the hospital for head
injuries they suffered during the jailbreak.

"Personally, I am concerned by the incident because it left
two guards injured," Rachman said.

The prison warden, Rida Muliadi, was not charged over the
escape.

Barelang Police chief Sr. Comr. Suhartono, speaking on Monday,
did not rule out the possibility of questioning Rida.

Rachman said his office was undecided on whether to sanction
Rida, but added that he had reported the details of the jailbreak
to the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights in Jakarta.

"Whatever negligence there was on the part of the guards is
the responsibility of the prison head. But we do not know what
sanctions will be imposed on him," he said.

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

At least 11 of the inmates were captured hours later on
Sunday. Police shot four of them after they resisted arrest.

Rachman said he had written to the Barelang Police, the Batam
Prosecutor's Office and the city's district court, officially
asking them to speed up the legal process against the 11 inmates
who were recaptured.

The remaining 41 escapees are believed still to be in Batam,
and police are searching for them using a helicopter.

"I have ordered the Barelang Police to use all the equipment
they have, including a helicopter, to hunt down the escapees,"
Riau Police chief Brig. Gen. Deddy S. Komaruddin told the Post.

"They started using the helicopter after receiving a report
that the inmates are hiding in swampy areas on Batam island," he
said.

The officer also expressed concern over conditions at the
prison, which is occupied by at least 509 prisoners but was only
built to accommodate a maximum of 220 prisoners.

Batam authority administration head Ismeth Abdullah has
indicated that the jailbreak could have been prevented if proper
procedures had been implemented.

He also said his office had allocated two hectares of land in
the Simpang Tembersi area of Batam to build a new prison, but
added that the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights had yet to
respond to the proposal.

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.