Coronavirus measures trigger prison riot in Indonesia

This file photo taken on April 6 shows inmates displaying letters in front of a prison after they were released due to concerns of the spread of the coronavirus in Lhoknga, near Banda Aceh. Overcrowding, poor ventilation and deficient health, hygiene and sanitation conditions favours the rapid spread of infectious diseases -- making prisons around the world a flashpoint for the new coronavirus. - AFP

MANADO: Angry inmates set fire to an overcrowded prison on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island during a riot erupted late Saturday and Sunday morning (April 12) over measures imposed to contain the Covid-19 (coronavirus), officials said on Sunday (Apr 12).

Hundreds of police and soldiers were deployed to take control of Tuminting prison in Manado city, the capital of North Sulawesi province, which is designed to house 490 inmates but now has more than 550, said Lukmasono, the head of Justice and Human Rights provincial office.