Subject: AP: Up to 40 prisoners escape from jail in East Timor

Up to 40 prisoners escape from jail in East Timor

The Associated Press

Published: February 17, 2007

DILI, East Timor: About 40 prisoners escaped from a jail in East Timor on Saturday, officials said, adding to security concerns in the tiny nation as it prepares for elections following political turmoil and violence last year.

Among those who broke out from the prison in the capital, Dili, were people arrested during the unrest in May that killed at least 30 people and led to the downfall of the prime minister, said prison guard Januario de Oliveira.

He said some of the other fugitives were arrested more recently for deadly gang fights that a U.N.-led peacekeeping force, deployed after last year's violence, has struggled to contain.

De Oliveira said police were hunting for around 40 escapees.

Minister of Justice Domingos Samento confirmed the breakout, but was not able to say how many inmates fled or how they escaped.


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