. . . - - - . . . S O S . . . - - - . . . Family and friends of a young man who has been locked up without charge in one of the world’s most notorious jails are campaigning for his release. Mathew Davies appealed for help in a message sent to WalesOnline. The 25-year-old travelled to Indonesia last year from his home in Blackwood, near Caerphilly, to take up a job with a computer firm. But the job didn’t work out and last month he was arrested by police for alleged immigration irregularities. Mr Davies contacted us from his cell at Cipinang Penitentiary Institution in the country’s capital Jakarta to tell us of his plight. In a note smuggled to WalesOnline he said: “I am currently being held in most probably one of the worst prisons in the world – Cipinang, Jakarta. I don’t know where to start.. “I am being held under immigration law apparently. They have nothing to prove I’m guilty and are just trying to extract money from me, family or one of my friends, which none of us have, so I just can’t see my way out of this... “The embassy don’t do anything to help me. They can’t get me out of prison, provide lawyer, translator or anything that would be beneficial for me at this moment. “The prison is so corrupt. When I was first sent here I was put in a room of 300 Indonesian rapists, murderers, thieves and God knows what else. I was the only white person in there. I couldn’t sleep – if I did it would only be for an hour with one eye open. Even then I had the little money I had stolen. “They carry shanks made from toothbrushes and they were all after me for money or food, which they think I have lots because I’m bule [an Indonesian colloquial term for a foreigner}. I have to shower from a bottle of dirty water, the water is only switched on three times a day, there’s no air circulation and there’s diseases everywhere. “As for Immigration, they had me held up in their own cell for eight days, wouldn’t let me contact my embassy or use my phone to arrange things. That’s eight days in a cell staring at the wall. They are complete idiots and they don’t give a s*** for people’s well being, all they care about is one thing, how much am I worth. When they wrote to the Embassy they said I was detained on the August 15, not August 7, which I was. So as you can see this is a very strange case and it’s all about corruption and money. “I don’t know how much longer I can survive in here. I can’t afford much to eat or drink – you can’t live without money here, its unbelievable. I am losing loads of weight, my body doesn’t feel healthy and I’ve been ill a few times. I need to get out soon – how people can live here is beyond me.” Cipinang Prison was built during Indonesia’s Dutch colonial era. It has been criticised by Amnesty International as a site where torture and ill-treatment is routine. A Welshman who lives in Jakarta and prefers not to be named has been into the jail to visit Mr Davies. He said: “It’s a hell hole run for the enrichment of prison staff who extract money from those unfortunate enough to be caught up in the system. “If Mat or his parents had about $10,000, which is the going rate to get a Caucasian out, he’d be back in the rugby club by now.” He said that through contacts the local Welsh community hoped to take up Mr Davies’ cause with the recently elected President-elected Joko Widodo, who stood on an anti-corruption platform and is due to take office next month. Mr Davies’ mother Yvonne said from the family home in Blackwood: “We’re very worried about him and hope he can be got out of prison as soon as possible.” A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokeswoman said: “We are aware of the detention of a British National in Indonesia and are providing consular assistance.” Since we published the story, there has been an outpouring of messages of support from concerned readers. More than 200 people have shared Mathew’s plight on Facebook. walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/out-young-welshmans-plea-released-7764191
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 13:56:16 +0000
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