Prisoners in Lorengau to be moved to Manus jail

By VERONICA MANUK
THE Manus jail was reopened last month while prisoners accommodated at Lorengau police cell were expected to move in starting yesterday.
Senior provincial magistrate Francis Kalai in consultation with Justice Gregory Lay together agreed and the jail was declared opened last Feb 15 at 3pm.
Magistrate Kalai said the reopening of the jail was upon the satisfactory report from provincial health authorities.
CS Commissioner Richard Sikani made the decision in May last year to close the jail following the National Court decision by Justice Lay due to unhygienic conditions the prisoners were living in.
In a letter to the CS commissioner dated Feb 18 and copies to the Chief Magistrate, provincial administrator, jail commander and provincial police commander Magistrate Kalai said: “You are aware of recent chain of events culminating in the provincial administrator declaring the provincial state of emergency when there was a report of prisoners threatening to enter shops and take food items.”
He said a meeting at the provincial parliament house, the provincial Health Insp was asked to inspect the jail and file the report to the provincial administrator.
Mr Kalai said in the report the provincial health i nspector was satisfied with the maintenance done in the jail.
“Please, take particular notice of highlighted paragraph ‘C’ where the said order shall be automatically uplifted upon satisfaction of the local health authorities as to whether or not Lorengau CIS building is fit for human habitation.
“For your information in consultation with Justice Lay, we agreed that CIS be opened immediately, ”Mr Kalai said.