Krabi prison riot only results in 14 Covid patients being moved to hospital
Some 400 male inmates in Krabi’s main provincial prison began rioting on Thursday night demanding that all Covid-19 patients in the prison be shifted to a hospital outside.
More than 300 out of 2,159 prisoners have been infected but not isolated because the prison only has one zone.
A prison official reported that the riot got so bad at around 10pm that they had to call police and soldiers for backup.
A large group of male inmates, led by some 40 leaders, began breaking objects in their sleeping quarters. Some also tried to climb up the prison wall, prompting crowd-control teams to shoot rubber bullets at them.
Just after midnight, Krabi governor Phutthiphong Sirimat showed up to negotiate with the riot leaders and agreed to shift 14 inmates with severe symptoms to hospital for treatment. Three prisoners who sustained injuries from rubber bullets have also been sent to hospital.
However, the rioters are still reportedly not satisfied with the result.
As of press time, more than 300 crowd-control police officers were still surrounding the prison to prevent the situation from escalating.
Prison officials were also considering whether the more than 300 women inmates, sequestered in a block next to the area where men are held, should be shifted to a temporary prison in Krabi Noi subdistrict.
