On June 12, the private television station SCTV reported that a riot had occurred at the Medaeng prison, Surabaya (East Java). Dita Indah Sari, chair of the Center for Labour Struggle which is affiliated with the Peoples Democratic Party (PRD) was imprisoned there. The incident began when 300 prisoners tried to force they way out of the jail by beating up a jailer and destroying the main door. This action was then followed by other prisoners. In the end the gate was broken down and a number of sections of the prison set fire to. The SCTV report showed the arrival of fully armed soldiers to control the riot.

For the moment the women prisoners have been evacuated, while the male prisoners have been moved to other jails, such as Kalisosok.

The Medaeng prison has been overwhelmed by almost identical riots on previous occasions. The prison authorities accused Dita Sari as the mastermind of the riots because the prisoners shouted "Viva Dita!" and "Viva PRD!".

In this last riot, the report said that the action was masterminded by a "figure" who's cell is located in Block F. Another source said that Dita Sari was being held in that block.

[Translated by James Balowski]