No Prisoner Escapes During Kerobokan Prison Riot

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Police said they would process those who had set fire to Bali's Karobokan state penitentiary and also those who had provoked a riot among its inmates.

"The case is still being handled by the Bali regional police with regard to processing the provocateurs and those who had caused the fire. No prisoner has escaped. It is secure," head of the National Police's public relations division Inspector General Saud Usman Nasution said here on Wednesday.

He said after conditions in the field are improving investigation would be carried out to uncover persons involved in the torching and also other kinds of vandalism that had happened.

"We will cool down first. The recording of the incident is  available. The situation has just been put under control and the incident will be traced," he said.

The rioting in Kerobokan occurred at 11pm on Tuesday where 1,030 prisoners are staying surpassing the capacity.

"It started with a fight between prisoners in which one of them was stabbed. The victim then searched the knife as evidence but wardens said they did not know about it," Saud said.

The victim was not happy with the wardens' statement and then provoked his friends to first break the front door and then burned the registration room and later the warden's room and they then proceeded to the warehouse where weapons are kept," he said.

"Luckily all weapons have been taken out by prison staff so that they are all secure. The rioting was later put under control," he said.

In the rioting RE (21) suffered a shot wound on his right leg, S (34) suffered a stab wound on his right hand and NT (33) suffered bruises.

"After the situation has been put under control our personnel in the field along with officials from the local administration tried to conduct a dialog with prisoners," he said.

He said the prisoners in the dialog demanded justice and equal treatment for all prisoners and the replacement of the prison's security chief who they considered were the causes of the fight and rioting.

The had also demanded improvement in the treatment system. "There must be no discrimination. Later outside parties would see how the system has so far worked," he said.(*/T007)