Fifteen PNG citizens escape from Indonesian prison

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
A GROUP of 15 Papua New Guinea citizens, including two women, serving terms in an Indonesian prison for drug-related offences are on the run, police say.
West Sepik Police Commander Chief Inspector Moses Ibsagi told The National that the 15 escaped with 16 Indonesians from Doyo Prison in Sentani, Jayapura, on Sunday last week.
“The prisoners, mostly from the East and West Sepik, were among the 31 prisoners who had broken out from the narcotic prison in Sentani last Sunday (July 22),” he said.
“Among the PNG prisoners are two women. They are believed to be travelling towards the PNG-Indonesia border. Indonesian officials have advised us to detain them if they came across the border.”
He said Indonesian authorities wanted the escapees sent back to Indonesia to be punished for escaping.
“We are now on the lookout for them at the main entry points along the border at the inland Skotchio border post and the coastal Wutung border post,” Ibsagi said.
“But it is about 120 kilometres from the prison to the border and is thick jungle with mountainous and swampy terrains.
“Also they have to cross the wide and fast-flowing Tami River to make it to the border if they are travelling by foot. The river is about 10 kilometres from the border.”
Ibsagi said there were in total 26 PNG citizens at Doyo Prison.
Meanwhile, Jayapura police chief Victor Dean Mackbon told reporters in Indonesia that the prisoners escaped by sawing through the iron bars of a window.