 Location of Nusa Kambangan (green) in Central Java | |
  Nusa Kambangan  Nusa Kambangan | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Southeast Asia |
| Coordinates | 7°45′S108°55′E / 7.750°S 108.917°E /-7.750; 108.917 |
| Area | 121 km2 (47 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
Indonesia | |
| Province | Central Java |
| Regency | Cilacap |
| Demographics | |
| Population | Around 3000 natives, and several hundred inmates |
| Pop. density | 24/km2 (62/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Banyumasan people |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
Nusa Kambangan[a] is an island located inIndonesia, separated by a narrow strait from the south coast ofJava. The closest port isCilacap inCentral Java province. It is known as the place where the fabledwijayakusuma, which translates as the 'flower of victory' in the highest literary register of theJavanese language, grows. Thewijayakusuma can be used to bring a person back from the dead, and the princes of theSultanate of Mataram and later theSurakarta Sunanate sent to the island for the blooms in order to become kings.[1][2][3] Thus the island is also known aspulau bunga-bungaan, the 'island of many flowers'. There is a forest reserve on the island. One of the main cultural events isSedekah Laut (sea sacrifice), which is held by the Surakarta Sunanate everySatu Suro (new year) in theJavanese calendar. Since theDutch colonial period, there have been a number ofsupermax prisons on the island, some of which are still operational and run by theMinistry of Immigration and Correction.[4]
The island was declared off-limits in 1905 by the Dutch, who turned it into a prison island during theera of Dutch rule. The colonial government built prisons on the island for criminals. The prison on Nusa Kambangan was opened in the mid-1920s by Indonesia's Dutch colonial rulers.[citation needed]
Its use as a prison island continued after independence. During the rule offormer President Suharto, hundreds of political dissidents were imprisoned on the island. Most were political prisoners, members of the bannedCommunist Party of Indonesia or sympathizers. These prisoners were never brought to trial, and many of them died from hunger or illness.[citation needed]
In 1996, the island was opened to the public as a tourist destination.
The island has also been involved inrefugee handling. About 140Afghan refugees were detained on the island after their boat, which was en route toChristmas Island,Australia, sank in rough seas on 17 August 2001.[5] However, more than 90 of these refugees would later escape on 19 September 2001, sailing away in small fishing boats and are believed to have headed for Australia.[6]
The island was affected by the2006 Pangandaran earthquake and tsunami, when a 7.7-magnitude undersea earthquake occurred off the coast of west Java. At least 11 villagers disappeared and 8 people were killed in the ensuing tsunami, two of which were prisoners at one of the Permisan prisons.[7] At least fifteen inmates on Nusa Kambangan were also missing.[8]
The island population is 3,000, excluding the prison inmates and staff; most inhabitants areJavanese. Their main occupation isfishery and some work inrubber andteak plantations. However,illegal logging activities, mostly conducted by outsiders, threaten the island environment.[9]
Nusakambangan is separated from Java by the narrow Segara Anakanstrait. Being isolated from mainland Java, the island is relatively under-developed and less inhabited and the wildlife is better preserved.[10] The eastern side of a bay is anature reserve area where an oldDutchfortress is located on the Karangbandung beach. As a lowland tropicalrainforest, Nusakambangan is biologically diverse.
More than 71 different bird species, 14reptile species and variousmammal species are found in the island. Twenty-three bird species are classified as protected, including thePacific reef heron (Egretta sacra),woolly-necked stork (Ciconia episcopus),lesser adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus),white-bellied sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster),brahminy kite (Haliastur indus), andcrested serpent eagle (Spilornis cheela). Several other protected mammal species include theleopard (Panthera pardus),Indian muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak) andchevrotain (Tragulus javanicus). Four of six nativeprimates in Java, namelyJavan lutung (Trachypithecus auratus), thecrab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis),Javan surili (Presbytis comata), andslow lorises (Nycticebus sp.), have been reported to live on the island.
Saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) are native to the surrounding mangroves and were historically common, but their current status is unknown. Sightings in May 2019 suggest small numbers may persist, although these individuals may have moved in from elsewhere.[11]
In 2015 40 percent of Nusa Kambangan was spoiled by illegal logging and land clearing for plantations. Most of it had occurred in Selokjero, Bantapanjang, Kalijati, Jengkolan, Jongorasu, and Karanglena.[12]
From the mid-1990s, the island was intermittently promoted by local authorities as a tourist destination, primarily for its caves, beaches, and unusual wildlife that is extinct on Java.[13]
Notable attractions include Permisan beach (Pantai Permisan) with its beautiful white and gray sands near the Permisan jaillighthouse, Ranca Babakan on the west coast of the island, White Sands beach (Pantai Pasir Putih), and several caves such as Queen's cave (Goa Ratu). According to the Cilacap Tourism Office, Nusakambangan was opened as a tourist destination following an agreement between theCentral Java Governor and Ministry of Justice in 1996. The Cilacap government then invested some Rp 1.7 billion (around $200,000) in preparations for the opening up of the island, most of which was used on the construction of tourist-relatedinfrastructure. A special agency was also established to manage tourism on the island, with the Nusakambangan Prison warden made head of the agency and Cilacap Tourism Office chief as the deputy.[14] No individual tourists are allowed, all of the tourists within a group of minimum 15 persons which is arranged by tourist agency then will be accompanied by security officers until maximum 6 p.m without overnight stay.[15]
There are nine prisons built in the island, four of which are still used (a fifth super max prison is under construction):[16]
There are also five inactive prisons:
All of these were built by the Dutch, except Kembangkuning prison, which was built afterindependence. Of these, Batu (literally "stone") prison is considered the most famous.[17]
Several new prisons were subsequently built to meet capacity needs. Currently, Nusakambangan has a total of 17 prisons, with 12 in use and 5 unused. Some of these new prisons include:[18]
It was sensationally called "Alcatraz of Indonesia" in one news article by an American journalist,[19] while another American titled his piece "Execution Island".[20]
Famous people imprisoned on the island include:
Nusakambangan has also held hundreds of members ofFree Aceh Movement, but they were later released as part of a peace deal.[26]
244 inmates convicted in various drugs and narcotics offences were transported to the new Super Maximum Security Prison in Nusakambangan in 2007. These inmates came from various prisons in the country. The moving is intended to isolate them and cut drug circulation in Indonesia.[27]
On 9 November 2008,Amrozi,Imam Samudra, andMukhlas, three men convicted for their roles in the2002 Bali bombings were executed by firing squad at Nusa Kambangan after their appeals for clemency were turned down.[28]
In late 2014, the government of the new PresidentJoko Widodo announced that the execution of persons convicted of drug-related offences would be resumed. Appeals for clemency from six convicted drug dealers were turned down.[29] The resumption of executions attracted considerable international publicity.[30] Shortly after midnight on Sunday, 18 January 2015, five convicted persons were executed byfiring squad at Nusakambangan Island and another person convicted of drug dealing was executed, at the same time, in a separate prison inBoyolali inCentral Java. Two of the prisoners were members of theBali Nine gang, Andrew Chan and Mayuran Sukumaran. The Dutch and Brazilian governments announced that their ambassadors to Indonesia would be temporarily withdrawn in protest since Dutch and Brazilian nationals were amongst the executed.[31]
