Minister of Imipas Imbau Napi in Aceh Tamiang who was released during the disaster returned to prison

JAKARTA - Minister of Immigration and Correction (Imipas) Agus Andrianto appealed to inmates in Aceh Tamiang Regency who were released during the flash flood in late November to return voluntarily.

Agus said that inmates who returned with their own awareness would be given more remission than inmates who reported later.

"We have conveyed to Dirjenpas (Director General of Corrections Mashudi) to give them additional remission, especially those who return with awareness. There will definitely be more than that later," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Monday, December 29.

According to Agus, not all of the hundreds of inmates who were forced to be released due to the emergency condition have returned.

"Now it is still in the recovery process and there are still other subsequent disasters and so on. We will let them in the recovery process, hopefully in the future this will get better and faster," he said.

On the same occasion, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Imipas Asep Kurnia said that when the flood occurred, the Class IIB Penitentiary (Lapas) Kuala Simpang, Aceh Tamiang, released all its inmates.

According to Asep, the total number of inmates released at that time was 428 people.

"For the Aceh region, there is one UPT (technical implementation unit), namely Lelas IIB Prison in Kuala Simpang, which releases all WBP (prison inmates), 428 WBP, on humanitarian grounds," he said.

He said that no less than 18 Ministry of Imipas UPTs were affected by the floods in the northern region of Sumatra, namely 10 UPTs in Aceh and 18 UPTs in North Sumatra. The Ministry of Imipas has also provided assistance to the affected areas.

"The Ministry of Imipas has mobilized assistance to be used in the recovery of facilities and infrastructure at the affected UPT with a total collected fund of Rp. 3.1 billion through the Imipas Peduli program," he said.

Previously, Minister Agus said that his party had decided to release inmates at one of the correctional institutions or prisons in Aceh Tamiang Regency, Aceh, because the flood had reached the roof.

"There is one prison in Tamiang that has reached the roof, this is a forced resident of the correctional institution there, yes, it must be removed for humanitarian reasons," he said.