Authorities search for escaped Green Island prison inmate

Taipei, Jan. 6 (CNA) An inmate who escaped from Lyudao Prison on Taitung County's Green Island Monday afternoon remained at-large as of Monday evening, local authorities said.

The inmate, 40-year-old convicted drug dealer Wang Tien-you (王天佑), is believed to have escaped the prison at 2:40 p.m. after locking a warden inside a cell, Lyudao Prison Secretary Yang Jui-hsing (楊瑞興) told CNA.

Following the escape, authorities closed Green Island's Nanliao Harbor, while around 20 officers from the Taitung County Police Bureau's Criminal Investigation Corps were dispatched to the island to search for Wang.

Lyudao Towship chief Hsieh Hsien-yu (謝賢裕) told reporters his office had received permission to publish a photo of Wang, who is believed to still be on the island.

Given the risk that Wang could steal food or other supplies as he attempts to evade police, island residents are advised to lock their doors and windows and not venture out after dark, Hsieh said.

The authorities have urged island residents to contact the Green Island Police Station, Lyudao Prison or Lyudao Township Office if they notice anything suspicious.

According to police data, Wang was sentenced to four years and seven months in prison for selling ketamine and possession of PMMA in Kaohsiung in 2019-2020.

He began serving his term at Lyudao Prison on March 20, 2022 and was scheduled for early release in October 2026 due to good behavior.

Green Island sits about 33 kilometers off the coast of Taitung in southeastern Taiwan and is accessible by ferry. The 15-square kilometer island has a population of around 4,000.

Green Island was used as a penal colony during Taiwan's martial law period from 1949-1987, during which time political dissidents such as Shih Ming-te (施明德), later head of the Democratic Progressive Party, were imprisoned there.

Update: Escaped prison inmate on Green Island arrested Monday night