Historical Jerejak

When Sir Francis Light founded the British Colony of Penang in 1786, he made a ruling that immigrants could claim any land that they could clear. As this news spread, Penang became flooded with immigrants. A health inspection centre was established on Jerejak, and as a precaution, all potential immigrants had to stop by here before proceeding to Penang. The Quarantine Centre, built in 1910, can still be seen on the island.

During the World War I Battle of Penang, in 1914, a Russian cruiser was sunk by the German forces and two of the Russian crew members died. A memorial was erected on the island for them, but it has not been ascertained that their remains were buried here.

In 1930, a leprosarium, to quarantine lepers from the rest of the population on Penang, was built on the eastern part of the island.

After World War II, this building was used as a Tuberculosis sanatorium, able to host 150 patients, giving them a place of rest and good nutrition, and the only hope of recovery in the days before antibiotics. A cure for tuberculosis was discovered and during the 1950’s, most sanatoriums around the world were shut down.

The buildings on Jerejak Island were not demolished, but put to a new use. On 12 June 1969, Jerejak became a penitentiary island, gaining its moniker as the Alcatraz of Malaysia. The Quarantine centre became a prison block and the sanatorium a maximum security prison.

The first inmates were detainees from the 13 May 1969 Race Riots. 1982 saw 982 prisoners on the island, the most at any one time. After some successful escape attempts in the late 1980’s, prisoners were transferred in groups to be incarcerated elsewhere. The last group left in 1993 and the Jerejak prison was closed.

You can explore all these historical sites and more on the hiking and mountain biking trails that are all over the island. Guided tours are also available.