Narathiwat Prison Under Siege As Inmates Take Control

[webfact]

Inmates in Narathiwat prison riot

By The Nation

Narathiwat

Inmates in the Narathiwat Central Prison rited Thursday morning after prison guards searched their living quarters and seized over 100 mobile phone, some methamphetamine pills and some weapons.

The search by some 70 prison guards took place at 6:30 am.

The officials found batons, hammers and knives among the weapons.

Seeing their belonging seized, the inmates booed the officials and threw objects at the officials.

The terrified officials ran out of the prison through three gates.

The commander of the prison, Supoj Suwanthip, called for reinforcements by some 500 police, troops and Interior Ministry officials. The officials surrounded the prison walls for fear that the inmates would try to break out.

The angry inmates also used hammers to cause damages to the living quarter buildings.

The inmates tried to rush out of the buildings to the in the prison's compound ground to climb over the walls, but officials fired tear gases at them, causing the inmates to retreat back inside.

Officials used fire engines with cranes to monitor the situation from above. They were armed with rubber-bullet rifles.

At press time, the officials could not yet fully control the situation

-- The Nation 2011-08-11

[Buchholz]

Time for Prime Minister Yingluck to take control and show the nation what she's made of.

Welcome to the Real World, PM.

and it ain't the Chairman's chair at SC Assets.

.

Edited August 11, 2011 by Buchholz

[garrfeild]

Time for Prime Minister Yingluck to take control and show the nation what she's made of.

Welcome to the Real World, PM.

and it ain't the Chairman's chair at SC Assets.

.

communication with Big Brother number 1 are obviously a bit slow, still waiting for instruction or is that destructions

[SomTumTiger]

Like Thaksin gives a flying f$ck what happens in the south of Thailand.

[daninthai]

"Seeing their belonging seized, the inmates booed the officials and threw objects at the officials.

The terrified officials ran out of the prison through three gates."

If it's that easy to get rid of Thai officials..... Boo Yingluck, Boo PTP, Booooooooo!

[webfact]

Narathiwat governor assures riot at prison under control now; no injuries or deaths; committee to be set up to investigate cause /TAN_Network

[visions]

"Seeing their belonging seized, the inmates booed the officials and threw objects at the officials.

The terrified officials ran out of the prison through three gates."

If it's that easy to get rid of Thai officials..... Boo Yingluck, Boo PTP, Booooooooo!

Wow you guys are unbelievable. The admin of the prison is still operating under the outgoing Govts directions. Newly elected PM Yingluck hasnt even sat in the chair yet!!

Blame the Dems for the riots..

As an aside...... and the outgoing Govt wanted to build Nuke plants........... I wonder if they planned on sending invites to the plants opening to the global terroists network...... may as well welcome them, save the pretence of security..

[RedNIvar]

"Seeing their belonging seized, the inmates booed the officials and threw objects at the officials.

The terrified officials ran out of the prison through three gates."

If it's that easy to get rid of Thai officials..... Boo Yingluck, Boo PTP, Booooooooo!

This is down South, which the Democrats won. So I guess the booing only work on them. Let me try, Boo Abhisit, boo Suthep......hey what do know it works!

[Cnxforever]

Narathiwat governor assures riot at prison under control now; no injuries or deaths; committee to be set up to investigate cause /TAN_Network

Investigate the cause?? Has he ever seen a Thai prison from the inside?

The guards of course run away at the first sign of a riot - the police here does the same everytime there is a major problem.

The entire prison system here is as corrupt as everything else - and nothing but a money making enterprise for the people who run it.

People who have been imprisoned for minor offences are not being treated like human beings - if you murdered somebody or stole a wallet out of despairation - it does not seem to make any difference in the Thai prison system.

Now and then they stage these "searches" only to make money later and sell new mobile phones and other items to the inmates.

They even invent stories / plant "evidence" to blackmail inmates and / or their relatives and make a lot of money that way.

And finally - what's this got to do with the new PM ??

Next thing you are going to blame her for car accidents because she did not personally enforce speed limits?

Edited August 11, 2011 by Cnxforever

[Buchholz]

"Seeing their belonging seized, the inmates booed the officials and threw objects at the officials.

The terrified officials ran out of the prison through three gates."

If it's that easy to get rid of Thai officials..... Boo Yingluck, Boo PTP, Booooooooo!

Wow you guys are unbelievable. The admin of the prison is still operating under the outgoing Govts directions. Newly elected PM Yingluck hasnt even sat in the chair yet!!

Blame the Dems for the riots..

news flash... Yingluck is sitting in the chair and her government is in charge.

[jayboy]

Time for Prime Minister Yingluck to take control and show the nation what she's made of.

Welcome to the Real World, PM.

and it ain't the Chairman's chair at SC Assets.

.

What a ridiculous post.

A prison riot is a matter for the officials - which do not change as politicians do - at the Department of Corrections which reports to the Ministry of Justice.

It is not a matter where the PM should take control.Indeed we should be seriously worried if she did since it would imply a failure to delegate.

I'm sure there will be many areas in the coming months where the PM can be legitimately criticised, but this kind of comment coming just one day after Khun Yingluck's appointment by HM the King is just plain silly.

[plumeria]

Murdered somebody out of desperation????????????

[plumeria]

As corrupt as everything else? I don't know what country you come from but to think the same things are NOT going on in your country is really naive or biased or downright racist. There is nothing new under the sun.

[metisdead]

An inflammatory post has been removed.

[webfact]

No deaths in Narathiwat prison riot: Governor

NARATHIWAT, Aug 11 – No deaths have been reported in a prison riot here Thursday morning when soldiers and police were called in to quell the violence, Narathiwat Gov Thanon Vejjakornkanon said today.

The Narathiwat governor, Songkhla central prison chief Udom Khuinara and Pol Col Nanthadej Yoinuan, deputy commander of the Narathiwat Provincial Police explained to the media in a news conference that turmoil erupted when Mr Udom led about 100 officers to search for drugs and other contraband items. Inmates were dissatisfied with the search for illegal items and attacked officials.

Military reinforcements were requested to help control the situation. The governor asserted that the authorities did not injure any inmates while quelling the violence, but said that when the situation is under control, the riot leaders will be sent to the central prison in Songkhla.

Pol Col Nanthadej said more than 300 soldiers and police were deployed restore order and some officials observed the unfolding events from a cable car, seeing inmates use iron bars and wooded planks as clubs to hit the walls of dormitories Two buildings were damaged. Prison guards and the security reinforcements used the threat of rubber bullets to help control the inmates.

During the search, officials confiscated 346 methamphetamine pills, 45 Alprazolam pills, 91 mobile phones along with battery chargers and earphones, four watches, numerous scissors, cutters, sharp iron bars, apparent drug trade list, bank account books, and drug use paraphernalia.

An earlier disruption on June 18 left about 20 prison workers with injuries.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Gen Pracha Promnok said he assigned Pol Col Tawee Sodsong, a deputy permanent secretary of the Justice Ministry and Department of Corrections Director-General Chartchai Suthiklom to review the situation in Narathiwat.

Gen Pracha said he ordered special supervision as there are about 100 inmates in special security cases. There are about 1,200 inmates in Narathiwat prison, but only about 100 inmates were involved in the riot. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2011-08-11

[Deez]

As corrupt as everything else? I don't know what country you come from but to think the same things are NOT going on in your country is really naive or biased or downright racist. There is nothing new under the sun.

"downright racist"?? Really? What race is being singled out?

[tominbkk]

news flash... Yingluck is sitting in the chair and her government is in charge.

wow now that's the face of a real intellectual!

[SantiSuk]

I put this together with a report recently in 'another place' (I'm using English parliamentary language to refer to a paper that dare not speak its name on TV). Apparently inmates in Thai prisons have been hiding mobiles up their bums to evade detection. Katoey's are being rented by the day to facilitate bulk storage (ok that bit is my flight of fancy, but they are apparently being used as mules).

Now if prison officers have rushed into the prison and retrieved mobile phones from parts where the sun don't shine I'm not entirely surprised that the inmates are a little flushed with anger

[SaNim]

wow now that's the face of a real intellectual!

Wow , you can measure intellect from appearances!

I bet your a real cutie too!

[Soutpeel]

wow now that's the face of a real intellectual!

Wow , you can measure intellect from appearances!

I bet your a real cutie too!

WOW you cant even see her brothers hand up her bottom malipulating her mouth...these ventrilouqists dummies are real high tech these days.....

[nurofiend]

lol, the first two posts mention Ying and Yang

[kmj]

I love to read the posts from the democrat losers 55555....

[hanuman1]

Time for Prime Minister Yingluck to take control and show the nation what she's made of.

Welcome to the Real World, PM.

and it ain't the Chairman's chair at SC Assets.

.

What a ridiculous post.

A prison riot is a matter for the officials - which do not change as politicians do - at the Department of Corrections which reports to the Ministry of Justice.

It is not a matter where the PM should take control.Indeed we should be seriously worried if she did since it would imply a failure to delegate.

I'm sure there will be many areas in the coming months where the PM can be legitimately criticised, but this kind of comment coming just one day after Khun Yingluck's appointment by HM the King is just plain silly.

I'm surprised he didn't try to spin it as 'Even convicted criminals show their displeasure at Yingluck taking office'.

After all, first Yingluck took office, then the prisoners rioted. The latter must be because of the former. QED because, like, one happened right after the other. That's the kind of reasoning these kind of posters often use.

[maidu]

I don't see this as Ms Yingluck's problem now - but it should be a serious issue to deal with later on. She and her brother have more pressing concerns in the immediate term, like consolidating their power.

The overcrowded prison is on 4 rai in a downtown area, and has low walls - a perfect scenario for trouble. Mobile phones and drugs get tossed over the wall. It must be nearly as hellish being a prison guard there, as being an inmate. What a crappy scene.

If the money spent on bomb detectors which didn't work (they were black plastic boxes with nothing inside), ......and such other boondoggles - was spent on improving prisons, then a big portion of such problems would lessen. How about the money for two subs the military wants (?) - which will be about as effective for Thailand's defense as its aircraft carrier.

The best thing Yingluck and her cabinet can do for the problems in that prison is to revamp the drug policies. The 'War on Drugs' (which Thailand apes from the failed US policy of the same name) is a complete failure. Treat druggies as medical patients rather than convicts, and much of the problems with drugs will lessen. It's being done in more enlightened countries (Holland, Australia, Switzerland), and the proof is in the pudding. No country can eradicate drug problems, but there are ways to deal with it, that doesn't turn large segments of society in to dangerous criminals, as happens in the US, Thailand, Mexico and Russia.

[webfact]

Drug dealers blamed for prison riots

By THE NATION

A riot at Narathiwat prison, the second in the past two months, erupted yesterday and turned violent, after a search by guards and police to suppress drug dealing from inside the prison walls.

The dawn search turned up hand-made weapons, contraband, and 91 mobile phones, chargers and equipment, crucial to long-standing drug dealing from inside the prison that the Corrections Department has had problems controlling. Also uncovered were 400 illegal pills, marijuana and smoking equipment.

The situation had not returned to normal by press time last night, despite a large number of prison guards mobilised from elsewhere, police and soldiers. Up to 150 convicted insurgents are imprisoned there.

The revolt was reportedly instigated by inmates, possibly active drug dealers, who were angered by the search. The number of rioters peaked at about 800, out of a total of 1,064 male and 94 female inmates. They demolished brick walls of two detention houses and hurled stones and objects at prison guards.

Provincial Governor Thanon Wetchakorn-kanont dismissed earlier media reports about a death and injuries to inmates, saying the revolt was dealt with using non-violent measures.

"No one has been killed or wounded in the officials' operation to bring the situation under control," he said.

Prison commander Suphoj Suwannathip blamed tight space in the 4-rai (6,400-square-metre) compound as the main reason inmates could stage a riot. He said inmates should be moved farther away from their cells while searches were underway.

"But the inmates here are in close proximity to the cells because there is no space to move them," he added.

Suphoj said a 320-rai plot had been projected for a new prison site but a request for a Bt500-million building budget had been turned down for two years. He pleaded for approval from the new government. Thanon said drug dealing from inside the prison was simpler in Narathiwat than at other jails, as it was in an urban area and surrounded by busy streets.

The throwing in and out of drugs, money |and mobile handsets over low walls was easy |for inmates to do and difficult for guards to |monitor.

A revolt also instigated by convicted drug dealers occurred on June 18 and stemmed from a prison search. No results of an internal investigation into that incident have yet been released.

-- The Nation 2011-08-12

[mca]

<deleted> is it necessary to bring Yingluk into a completely unrelated thread starting from the first reply? Aren't there enough threads running already to knock her? <deleted>.

[ib1b4]

<deleted> is it necessary to bring Yingluk into a completely unrelated thread starting from the first reply? Aren't there enough threads running already to knock her? <deleted>.

You know what they say! ---- cannot teach old dogs new tricks!

[endure]

Time for Prime Minister Yingluck to take control and show the nation what she's made of.

Is the Prime Minister elect personally responsible for the behaviour of every inmate in every prison throughout Thailand?

[webfact]

Rioting continues at Narathiwat prison with inmates throwing things; guards have to resort to shooting into the air /TAN_Network

[nurofiend]

seems like the authorities are quicker to shoot at red shirts than at convicted criminals