Somsak Thepsuthin the Justice Minister reported that the inmates escaped during the prison riot in Buriram Province. There are over 2,000 inmates at the Buriram Prison and about 100 of the inmates participated in the jailbreak plan. They started in the visitation area with the doors and windows. As things got more heated the inmates started breaking the tiles and attempted to burn the prison down. It all started when rumors spread throughout the prison that Covid-19 has entered inside.
The group that started this rumor had received life imprisonment sentences in the same week. These inmates then started spreading the news that caused great fear to other inmates, Reuters News reported. Making others believe that they would get Covid-19 if they remained inside any longer. The inmates that started the rumors might have felt like they had nothing to lose and to start a riot was there only chance of gaining freedom once again.
Officials including big names in the Police and Army came to control the situation directly. There were road checkpoints that surrounded all entrances and exits in the province that led to the prison. A number of inmates made the escape with currently no clear number of how many, but 7 have been caught successfully. As a safety measurement against the virus, relative visits have been suspended to the end of March. New inmates are also quarantined, this is done by placing them in isolation units for at least 14 days.
The inmates involved in the prison break mission started when the prison guards were working in the quarantine room. They started burning down the canteen, but thankfully the fire was stopped in time before it entered other buildings. After the incident calmed down inmates that were not involved in the riot were sent to their prison cells. This incident shows that rumors can cause a lot of damage, even in prison.
FB Caption: Over 100 inmates attempted to escape prison due to Covid-19 rumors.
Source: INN News
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