Minister Asks Prisons to Watch for Possible Escape During Eid

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Justice and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly asked on prison officials to strengthen supervision ahead of the Eid el Fitri Day. Mr. Laoly said prisoners are more likely to want to escape during the season.

"We are asking prison wards and managements to be more alarmed about the possibility of prisoners escaping. Usually nearing the Eid, crime rate is high and so is prisoners' will to escape," he said in Jakarta, Wednesday.

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According to Yasonna, one of the main reasons for the escape is that prisoners wish to meet their families. "Some just wants to see their children. There is that longing, as is the holy month of Ramadan".

On Monday, four foreign prisoners escaped from Bali's Kerobokan Prison.

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Yasonna said the authorities continue to search for the inmates who escaped through an underground tunnel. The minister admitted that the Kerobokan Prison is overcrowded and the building is in poor condition, but said it was quite difficult to transfer the many number of inmates to another facility.

There is a proposal to build a new prison in Bali to accommodate some of the inmates in Kerobokan. The plan, said Yasonna, is hampered by funding and land availability constraints.

"It's not easy to find land in Bali. It is very expensive," Yasonna said.

YOHANES PASKALIS