Ingram, Zachares sued • 4 nonresidents hostaged in prison takeover say officials, including DOC’s Castro, negligent in their duties

Four Chinese nationals yesterday sued three local high-ranking government officials in the U.S. District Court here, seeking at least $100,000 in monetary damages each after they were held hostage by inmates during a prison standoff in March last year.

Public Safety Commissioner Charles W. Ingram, Labor and Immigration Secretary Mark Zachares and Division of Corrections Director Greg Castro were named defendants to the civil suit filed by lawyer G. Anthony Long on behalf of the four plaintiffs.

Xing Hao Cui, Chun Yan, Zhou Bo, Ting Hua Wang, who all hail from the People’s Republic of China, are demanding compensatory and punitive damages as well as payment of litigation and attorney’s fees and other monetary relief from the court. They also are seeking jury trial of the case which came 15 months after the incident.

The lawsuit stemmed from the March 9, 1999 incident in which a group of inmates staged a 14-hour siege inside the male detention facility in Susupe where the four were also being held at that time.

It claimed the three officials were negligent in their duties by allowing the four to be taken hostage by other prisoners, thus violating their civil rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.

Mr. Ingram declined comment when contacted yesterday, while Mr. Zachares and Mr. Castro could not be reached for their reaction. The complaint was filed “personally” against the three CNMI officials.

The four plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages from both the police commissioner and DOC director, while Mr. Wang included Mr. Zachares in the complaint since he was placed in the male detention facility by the Department of Labor and Immigration when he was under custody only for immigration violation.

Last year’s prison siege was led by William Sablan and five others who assaulted a jail guard, ransacked a security locker, took a hand gun and help police at bay for 14 hours beginning at dawn of March 9, 1999.

Based on the complaint, the plaintiffs alleged they were housed together with the convicted felons who were sent to the detention facility after they escaped from prison a month before.

They were supposed to be staying in the correctional facility and not where the four Chinese were held since that area was only for inmates awaiting trial.

The night before the hostage, Mr. Sablan and the other prisoners were seen drinking alcohol smuggled into the detention facility who later overpowered the lone officer on duty and took over the whole facility, according to the suit.

After ransacking the security locker and finding a hand gun and ammunition left inside, they took the four Chinese hostage who were “terrorized and otherwise subjected… to inhumane and uncivilized treatment,” including beating and death threats, it said.

The plaintiffs alleged that prior to that incident, the three CNMI officials knew and should have known that the detention facility was not a safe and secure facility in which to house them.

They accused Mr. Ingram, Mr. Zachares and Mr. Castro of being negligent in their duties and indifference to their safety and well-being by allowing the circumstances leading to the hostage to happen.

Because of the incident, the plaintiffs claimed they continue to suffer “damages and injury” and are now demanding compensation and other relief.

The federal court has summoned the three defendants to respond to the charges in 20 days.