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| Escaped Inmates Reappear at Jail, Want In |
| By Reuters |
| Published: 05/11/2001 |
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A dozen inmates who escaped from Colombia's mountain prison of Caloto three days ago returned on Thursday to the front gates of the compound, asking to be readmitted. After visiting family and friends, the prisoners said they had opted to take advantage of a Colombian amnesty law that forgives and forgets prison breaks if fugitives return voluntarily within 72 hours, authorities said. 'They wanted to see their children, have a few drinks,' a spokesman at the state-run National Penitentiary Institute told Reuters. 'As long as they are all back by 10 p.m. tonight, they will not be penalized.' Marxist rebels rigged a powerful dynamite blast to blow open the front gates of the Caloto prison on Tuesday, freeing 68 inmates -- in the biggest prison break this year. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia -- known as the FARC - regularly engineer mass escapes in order to free their imprisoned comrades. Caloto authorities said those who had asked to be put back behind bars were mainly petty thieves and faced only short sentences. Prison authorities estimate as many as 60 of the Caloto escapees could return to the compound this evening. 'They usually wait until the very last minute, to take advantage of their free time,' the spokesman said. |
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