Second riot in Krabi Prison sees 14 injuries an massive fire

After a riot that broke out last night in Krabi Provincial Prison was declared to have been brought under control this afternoon, a second riot broke out with 14 injuries and a massive fire. The original riot broke out over alleged special treatment of an inmate who was brought off-site for Covid-19 treatment while others were cared for inside the prison facilities.

The Krabi Pitakpracha Foundation said that one of the buildings in the prison had been set on fire and that the fire was subsequently spreading quickly through the dorm buildings. The blaze was first reported around 5 pm.

Details are sparse at this time, but the flames were reported to be extinguished by around 7:20 pm. The fire is suspected to have been set by leaders within the Krabi Prison inmate population that police had vowed to pursue action and charges against at the close of the last riot. 31 of the leaders were taken into custody so far.

14 injuries were reported in the melee, with prison guards trying to quickly bring the riot under control by firing rubber bullets at prisoners to subdue them. It was unclear if any injuries were a result of the fire within the prison.

The riots were able to restart as officials were still reeling from the just-ended previous riot where they had agreed to reevaluate procedures for inmates who become affected with Covid-19 and agreeing to move 14 critical Covid-19 infected inmates off-site for treatment. Security workers were attempting to administer rapid antigen Covid-19 tests before moving prisoners to different locations when the fighting re-erupted.

There were more than 2,100 inmates incarcerated at Krabi Prison before the first riot began, but 400 have been transferred to other prisons already. After what appears to be extensive fire damage in the prison dorms, the remaining 1,700 inmates are being moved throughout the night to different prisons.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post