Police on Tuesday continued to search for 30 juvenile delinquents who remained free after a mass breakout from a remand home in Surat Thani on Monday evening.
A total of 64 young offenders escaped from Surat Thani Juvenile Training Centre’s Zone 8 in tambon Khun Thalae in Muang district around 6.20pm on Monday, said police.
Police and rescue workers quickly rounded up 34 of the fleeing juveniles, but the rest remained free overnight.
As the hunt continued on Tuesday, community leaders and local residents were urged to alert police if they had information pointing to the whereabouts of the delinquents still at large, Thai media reported.
The escape followed urine testing of young offenders at the centre. Ten youths tested positive for drug use. The young inmates became angry and began to riot. Other offenders took the opportunity to flee.
The Surat Thani-based remand home houses 447 juvenile delinquents from seven provinces in the upper South. Youth offenders convicted of crime are detained at the remand home until they reach the age of 24 years.