Indonesia plans croc-guarded prison island for drug convicts
Indonesia's anti-drugs agency has proposed building a prison on an island guarded by crocodiles to hold death row drug convicts, an official said yesterday, an idea that wouldn't be out of place in a James Bond film.
The proposal is the pet project of anti-drugs chief Budi Waseso, who plans to visit various parts of the archipelago in his search for fierce reptiles to guard the jail.
"We will place as many crocodiles as we can there," he was quoted as saying by local news website Tempo.
"I will search for the most ferocious type of crocodile."
He also said that crocodiles would be better at preventing drug traffickers from escaping as they could not be bribed, unlike human guards.
But he is banking on the convicts lacking actor Roger Moore's crocodile-running skills showcased in Bond movie Live and Let Die, when the fictional agent escaped from an island using the reptiles as stepping stones.
"You can't bribe crocodiles. You can't convince them to let inmates escape," he added.
The plan is still in the early stages, and neither the location nor potential opening date of the jail have been decided.
Indonesia already has some of the toughest anti-narcotics laws in the world, including death by firing squad for traffickers. The country sparked international uproar in April when it put to death seven foreign drug convicts. - AFP
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now