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Family’s plea to release Blackwood man imprisoned in Indonesia

News | | Published: 12:00, Thursday September 18th, 2014.
Last updated: 12:08, Thursday September 18th, 2014

IMPRISONED: Blackwood man Mathew Davies is locked up in an Indonesian jail
IMPRISONED: Blackwood man Mathew Davies is locked up in an Indonesian jail

The family of a Blackwood man who is being held in an Indonesian prison have made an emotional plea for help to bring him home to Wales.

Mathew Davies, 25, travelled to Indonesia last year to start a new job with a computer company, but the job fell through.

During his stay in the country he has been running a restaurant, but was later arrested by officials for alleged immigration irregularities.

His family are appealing for help to bring him home.

They said Mr Davies was being held without charge at the notorious Cipinang Penitentiary Institution in Jakarta.

His mother Yvonne told BBC Wales that her son has little food and no clean water in the prison.

She said: “They’ve just locked him up, they’re holding him there and just trying to claim money off him all the time.

“I just want him home, I just need to see him.”

Mr Davies has managed to smuggle a note out of the prison detailing his plight.

The note, published by WalesOnline, reads: “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.”

The family have been told they need to raise as mush as £10,000 for his release.

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokeswoman said: “We are aware of the detention of a British National in Indonesia and are providing consular assistance.”

The Indonesian foreign ministry said Mr Davies arrived on a visitor’s visa, which allows people to stay in the country for 60 days.

The visa was attached to the firm that Mr Davies worked for.

The ministry told the BBC that once Mr Davies stopped working for the company, he should have returned home but was instead found working as a waiter, breaking immigration rules.

1 thought on “Family’s plea to release Blackwood man imprisoned in Indonesia”

  1. Dean says:
    Thursday, September 18, 2014 at 16:19

    I support the Indonesian government’s decision to detain Davies, however, I am also a strong supporter of having a maximum time period in place for a fair trial to take place. If Davies had indeed breached immigration law he should receive a fair trial and a punishment (it could be deportation or a prison sentence). A week in detention without a fair trial taking place is a fair limit in my opinion. After that time bail would be a better option. Exceptions to this would include suspected rapists, murderers, terrorists.

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