Indonesia : Bali jail riot over

Indonesian authorities said Saturday they had regained full control of an overcrowded jail housing 60 foreign inmates on the resort island of Bali, after riots erupted this week. All of the roughly 1,000 inmates at the Kerobokan prison where violence broke out on Tuesday between warring gangs were accounted for, Bambang Krisbanu, a security official at the justice ministry, told reporters. "We are in control of the prison. The situation has returned to normal. Prisoners are following our orders," he said. "I can confirm that no prisoner escaped during the riots."Police presence at the jail was down to a minimum, with fewer than 10 armed men guarding the entrance, but police were on standby to provide security assistance, Bali police spokesman Hariadi told AFP. "So far, there hasn't been any request (for assistance) from the prison staff. It means that staff have been able to manage the situation and the prisoners well," he added. The prison houses dozens of foreign inmates, including 12 Australians, and authorities had feared that the prisoners who took over the jail could use them as bargaining chips. Reporters were allowed into the premises at noon to witness the situation. An AFP correspondent saw around 20 prisoners scrubbing soot off the walls and cleaning up debris under the supervision of prison staff. Another 500 prisoners were seen gathered in a hall, playing drums, singing and dancing, as part of what authorities called a "trauma-recovery programme". He earlier said that most prisoners had returned to their cells except for some whose accommodation had been damaged. Motor and pedestrian traffic resumed on the busy street immediately in front of the notorious prison, with the only sign of this week's trouble a strip of yellow police tape cordoning off the main gate. Indonesian forces stormed Kerobokan on Wednesday to regain control after a night of arson and stone-throwing, but were later forced back, with prison staff saying they were afraid to return for fear of sparking more violence. Fourteen foreigners were evacuated for their safety late Thursday but were returned after telling prison officials they did not want to serve their sentences in other jails. Provincial military command spokesman Wing Handoko had earlier said authorities feared the foreigners could be harmed. "There is a big possibility that the foreign inmates could be used by the rioting inmates as bargaining chips to press for their demands," he said. Kerobokan, one of Indonesia's most notorious prisons, is also home to 125 female inmates and 11 Indonesian children whose ages were not immediately known. The jail's population is more than three times the intended capacity.