Nusa Kambangan
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 Nusa Kambangan
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| Geography | |
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| Location | South East Asia |
| Coordinates | 7°45′S 108°55′E / 7.750°S 108.917°E |
| Area | 121 km2 (47 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
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Indonesia
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| Province | Central Java |
| Regency | Cilacap |
| Demographics | |
| Population | Around 3000 natives, and several hundred inmates |
| Ethnic groups | Javanese |
Nusa Kambangan (also Nusakambangan, Kambangan island, or Pulau Nusa Kambangan) island is located in the Indian Ocean, separated by a narrow strait from the south coast of Java; the closest port is Cilacap in Central Java province. Dubbed by one international journalist the "Alcatraz of Indonesia", the island is notorious for its maximum security prisons, home to convicted murderers, terrorists, drug traffickers, and those convicted in high-profile corruption cases. It is sometimes known as Execution Island because the island is the main location for carrying out capital punishment around Java.
The island was made into a prison island during the Dutch period. The colonial government built a high security prison on the isolated island to exile criminals and political dissidents. The prison on Nusakambangan was opened in the mid-1920s by Indonesia's Dutch colonial rulers and was once considered the harshest penal institution in Southeast Asia. The island was declared off-limits in 1905 by the Dutch.
Its use as a prison island continued after independence. During the rule of former President Suharto, hundreds of political dissidents were imprisoned on the island. Most were political prisoners, members of the banned Communist Party of Indonesia or sympathizers. These political prisoners were never brought to trial, and many of them died from hunger or illness.
In 1996, the island was finally opened to the public as a tourist destination.
The island has also been involved in refugee handling. About 140 Afghan refugees were detained on the island after their boat, which was en route to Christmas Island, Australia, sank in rough seas on August 17, 2001. However, more than 90 of these refugees would later escape on September 19, 2001, sailing away in small fishing boats and are believed to have headed for Australia.
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Wikipedia