Police seek prison break masterminds

The jailbreak that left Buri Ram prison engulfed in flames has prompted an urgent probe to identify the masterminds behind the riot, believed to have been sparked by Covid-19 fears.

Most of the prison, except for the hospital area, was burned down on Sunday after about 100 inmates damaged a visiting room and set fire to a canteen before several escaped.

The unrest began after a rumour spread throughout the facility that one of the detainees had caught the novel coronavirus.

Police and corrections officials believe the rumour might have been a “trick to spark a riot” as part of a plot which led to the escape of 11 convicts, deputy Corrections Department chief Prawut Wongsinin said yesterday.

All but one were later apprehended as officials brought the situation under control on Sunday night, he said.

The department has set up a panel to conduct a full investigation into the incident that has closed down the detention facility. All 2,106 inmates will now be relocated to 18 other prisons in the Northeast, Pol Lt Col Prawut said.

According to investigators, the rioters managed to escape by destroying a wall in the visiting room. However, most of them were arrested near the prison.

Only a drug convict, identified as Thanyaphong Sinphun, 26, is still at large.

“The convicts who masterminded this must be given harsh penalties,” Pol Lt Col Prawut said.

He added that intensive screening measures adopted by the prison make it highly improbable that the virus could reach and spread among the inmates.

Police are hunting the escapee and believe he will be caught soon, deputy police spokesman Pol Col Kissana Phattanacharoen said.

Buri Ram police have also set up their own fact-finding team to look into the riot, he added.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court President Slaikate Wattanapan has launched new measures to better protect justice officials and prisoners against Covid-19.

Questioning inmates and witnesses during court trials can now be done via teleconference, according to Sarawut Benjakul, secretarygeneral of the Office of the Judiciary.

The method, which includes live broadcasts, can be also applied when judges give their verdicts, Mr Sarawut said.