There were more than 270 inmates escaped from the prison facility during violent riots in Indonesia’s Papua region, Agence France-Presse reported.
The inmates, who had a taste of freedom, have returned to prison to stay their until the jail sentence end.
About 250 inmates fled Monday as protesters outside set the jail and other buildings ablaze.
“But they weren’t trying to escape — they just wanted to save themselves from the fire,” prison spokesman Elly Yuzar said.
Yuzar added that there are 12 inmates still on the run.
When asked for the possible reason the inmates want to return to their jail cells, he replied “We’ve always treated them well and they knew that running away was not a solution — it would only make things worse.”
