Jerejak

Jerejak, or Pulau Jerejak (Jerejak Island), is a 362 hectare island located off the southeastern tip of Penang, Malaysia, a short ferry ride from Bayan Lepas, Penang. It was formerly a penal colony.

History

Francis Light, the founder of Penang, was said to have arrived in Pulau Jerejak in early 1786 before heading on to Penang. In 1797, Colonel Arthur Wellesley had proposed Jerejak as the possible site for Fort Cornwallis. His idea of establishing a military post in Jerejak was to offer protection to a new township called Jamestown, which was to be set up in present-day Bayan Lepas. Earlier in 1794, there had been an outbreak of malaria caused most likely by the clearing of the jungle to establish George Town, claiming many lives, including Francis Light himself. Thus, Wellesley was not in favor of the site for Fort Cornwallis to be on Penang island.

This plan did not materialize as George Town was starting to become a profitable port and it soon became unnecessary to establish Jamestown or have a military facility in that location.

As a result of Francis Light's earlier ruling whereby immigrants were allowed to claim whatever land they could clear, Penang became flooded with immigrants. As a precautionary step, these immigrants were sent to Jerejak's health inspection center before they were allowed to proceed to Penang. In 1910, the island was made a health quarantine center for immigrants and in the late 1930's, a leprosarium was built in the eastern part of the island.

A memorial is located in the island dedicated to two crew members of the Imperial Russian Navy who died when their cruiser was sunk by the cruiser SMS|Emden|1906|6 of the Kaiserliche Marine in the Battle of Penang on 28 October 1914. This is one of the few incidences of action which took place in Malaysian territory during World War I. [RIA Novosti : [http://www.rian.ru/society/20060221/43682867.html Tomb of Russian seamen restored in Malaysia] (in Russian)] [Embassy of Russia to Malaysia : [http://www.malaysia.mid.ru/int_e_03.html 90th Anniversary of the Loss of the Russian cruiser "Zhemchug" in Penang] ]

After World War II, there was an increase in the number of tuberculosis patients and a sanatorium was set up in Jerejak for victims. On 12 June 1969, the Jerejak Rehabilitation Centre was set as a maximum security prison, hence earning the island the moniker, the Alcatraz of Malaysia. [Malaysia.com [http://www.malaysia.com/info/penang/ Penang] ] The centre was eventually closed in August 1993. [Asia Explorers : [http://www.asiaexplorers.com/malaysia/penang/pulaujerejak.shtml Exploring Pulau Jerejak, Penang] ]

Current Developments

Plans were made to redevelop Jerejak into a resort in 2000 and this resulted in the closure of the more "unsavoury" institutions in the island like the sanatorium and prison. In January 2004, the Jerejak Resort & Spa was opened for business. The resort was built over the area once occupied by the leprosarium.

This development remains somewhat controversial with concerns about the systematic removal of the island's historical remains and heritage [ [http://www.worldisround.com/articles/33814/index.html Pulau Jerejak : A Legacy Erased] ] and the impact on Jerejak's fragile eco-system.

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