Indonesia :Most inmates at riot jail in cells

Indonesian authorities said that most prisoners at an overcrowded jail on the island of Bali where riots erupted this week had returned to their cells. The Kerobokan prison houses 60 foreign inmates, including 12 Australians, and authorities had feared that rioting prisoners who took over the jail on Tuesday could use them as bargaining chips. "All prisoners have returned to their cells except a few, because of the damage to cells and facilities during the trouble," Bambang Krisbanu, a security official at the justice ministry, told AFP on Saturday. Motor and pedestrian traffic resumed on the busy street immediately in front of the notorious prison, with the only sign of this week's trouble a strip of yellow police tape cordoning off the main gate. Police presence was down to a minimum, with only a few of a dozen armed men guarding the entrance and a commander giving the day's orders to a unit of 60 more who arrived later in the morning. Indonesian forces stormed Kerobokan on Wednesday to regain control after a night of arson and stone-throwing, but were later forced back, with prison staff saying they were afraid to return for fear of sparking more violence. Fourteen foreigners were evacuated for their safety late Thursday but were returned after telling prison officials they did not want to serve their sentences in other jails. Provincial military command spokesman Wing Handoko had earlier said authorities feared the foreigners could be harmed.