Prison escapes – Evening Report

11 prisoners shot dead, 1 recaptured and 33 flee in PNG jailbreak

Asia Pacific Report — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 03:17:54 +0000

By Marjorie Finkeo and Joan Bailey in Lae

Eleven prisoners have been shot dead in Papua New Guinea, one was recaptured and 33 others are still at large following yet another massive breakout at Buimo jail outside Lae city at the weekend.

Correctional Services and police officials say the breakout at the troublesome jail happened on Friday under the pretext of the prisoners seeking medical help for a sick prisoner.

The real cause of the escape is being investigated, and comes more than a week after the jail became the first in the country to report a confirmed case of covid-19.

Correctional Services Commissioner Stephen Pokanis confirmed on Sunday that a total of 45 prisoners, comprising 35 remandees and 10 convicts, were involved in the escape.

He said they had gathered at the prison gate and shouted at a duty officer to allow them to take a sick prisoner to the clinic to seek medical attention.

“They then rushed in numbers to the gate when taking out the sick prisoner; they attacked the duty officer with a kitchen knife and ran out to the outer gate in the compound. Two officers standing there were outnumbered when they rushed out,” Pokanis said.

The prisoners ran out from the main prison compound and towards the officers’ accommodation quarters and off to the hill behind the quarters to Buimo mountain, Pokanis said.

Six officers on duty
He said six prison officers were on duty shift from 6am to 2pm when the incident occurred.

Pokanis said the alarm was raised and the Lae police sector patrol helped prison warders to search for the escapees, and in the process shot the 11 and recaptured one.

Lae metropolitan police commander Chris Kunyanban said the reasons for the mass breakout were not known and is under investigation.

“Police also began operations to recapture the escapees, checking public transport travelling out of Lae to ensure that they are confined to Lae so we can recapture them,” Kunyanban said.

“Some escapees are from rural areas and they will escape out of Lae so our appeal to the public is to assist police with any reliable information of the whereabouts of the inmates who escaped.”

Kunyanban said the escapees need to be recaptured and locked up because they will make life miserable for the people in the community, the public and the business houses.

Kunyanban said in another jail breakout in January this year, one prisoner was killed and 10 escaped and are still on the run so the responsible authorities must consider upgrading the capacity of the jail by having good facilities for the inmates to use and deter escapes.

Still searching for escapees
Correctional Services Minister Chris Nangoi confirmed the warders and police were still searching for the escapees, adding that the reason for their escape may be in fear of coronavirus since the jail already recorded its first case, which was a 53-year-old female warder.

Nangoi said the remandees were the ones behind the mass breakout and they are still waiting for the release of K7 million from the government to build a high capacity security fencing and accommodation for CS officers to boost manpower as currently there were not enough warders at the prison.

“Police and warders are working closely to find the 33 still on run, none of our officers were injured,” he said.

He said more information about the breakout and investigations would be available this week.

Marjorie Finkeo and Joan Bailey are reporters for the PNG Post-Courier.

Buimo jailbreak timeline. Graphic; The National

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Police hunt four covid-suspect Papuan prisoners after escape from hospital

Asia Pacific Report — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 21:17:53 +0000

Indonesian police in West Papua say four prisoners isolated for suspected covid-19 infection have escaped from Bhayangkara Police Hospital and are still at large.

A number of prisoners, including Papuan independence activists, had recently been transferred to the hospital in Papua’s capital Jayapura.

The escaped prisoners broke down the bars in their hospital room windows on Wednesday, according to police spokesperson Senior Commander A.M. Kamal.

However, Kamal has confirmed that Basoka Logo, the head of the political bureau of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, remains in the hospital.

Kamal said Logo was being held for alleged forgery of official documents.

However, sources said he had been held prisoner since offering himself to police as a guarantee for the release of hundreds of Papuan students detained after widespread anti-racism protests last August.

The Liberation Movement has questioned the police version of events regarding prisoners transferred to prison among the ongoing threat of covid-19, with the number of cases of the virus surging in Indonesia.

– Partner –

Release political prisoners plea
The movement claimed Indonesian authorities had not taken up a recommendation by the UN more than two months ago for the release of political prisoners from the country’s overcrowded prisons.

While a number of general prisoners were released, Papuans who have been charged with treason-related charges after last year’s protests were not among them.

Human Rights Watch yesterday urged Indonesian authorities to drop all charges and release seven Papuan activists and students on trial for their involvement in the anti-racism protests in Jayapura last August.

Prosecutors have sought prison sentences of between five and 17 years for the defendants.

Meanwhile, with police still pursuing the inmates who reportedly escaped, the families of the four prisoners have been asked to co-operate with authorities to have them recaptured.

This article is republished by the Pacific Media Centre under a partnership agreement with RNZ.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Eight dead following big PNG jailbreak near Mt Hagen – manhunt, shootouts

Asia Pacific Report — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 13:15:53 +0000

By Vasinatta Yama in Mt Hagen

Eight prisoners at the Baisu Correctional Service prison near the Western Highlands provincial capital of Mt Hagen are dead following a massive jail breakout.

Western Highlands Acting Provincial Police Commander David Kongui confirmed that two prisoners have surrendered, while an unknown number of prisoners escaped.

Many of the fugitives, who escaped about midday yesterday, are those who have committed summary and criminal offences and who were remandees at Baisu jail.

The reports were still sketchy earlier today, but police and warders have been patrolling the province in an attempt to track them.

After hearing about the Baisu prison breakout, police in Mt Hagen traveled to all suspected escape routes prisoners may have used.

– Partner –

Task force almost ambushed
Mt Hagen Task Force Rat One team nearly lost their lives when they were caught in crossfire between two warring groups at Dei electorate.

The seven policemen on board were nearly ambushed with high-powered guns, but they remained calm and were disarmed by more than 20 men along the Gumanch bridge in Dei electorate.

Police Constable Jonathan Rami, who was driving, said the armed men disarmed them, taking away with more than 30 rounds of ammunition.

This warring group also gave their demands to the police.

Vasinatta Yama is a reporter for EM TV News. Asia Pacific Report republishes articles in partnership with the Pacific Media Centre.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz