Indonesia: Soldiers surround prison in paradise

Jakarta, 23 Feb. (AKI/Jakarta Post) - Hundreds Indonesian troops surrounded a prison on the resort island of Bali on Thursday, firing warning shots and tear gas to quell inmates after a second night of rioting.

Local police chief Beny Arjanto said were no immediate reports of injuries.

By late morning, the situation appeared tense but under control.

Prisoners at the Kerobokan jail - which houses drug traffickers, pedophiles, murderers and petty criminals - were demanding the release of three inmates detained after unrest initially flared Wednesday.

They threw one Molotov cocktail and rocks at guards from inside their cells at around 11 p.m., Arjanto said.

Soldiers and police surrounding the facility, backed by water canons and armored vehicles, responded with tear gas and shots in the air, he said.

The prison with a capacity of about 300, now houses around 1,000 inmates, including dozens of forigners. Those include members of an Australian drug smuggling ring who Australian media have dubbed the "Bali Nine."