Life tough on 'Indonesian Alcatraz'

Antara, Jakarta

Nusakambangan island has been in the news again, with reports of Tommy Soeharto being flown to Jakarta once a month to treat a tumor.

Nusakambangan island, located off Cilacap, Central Java, has a number of prisons. Its distance from the outside world makes it a suitable location for correctional facilities. A convict intent on escaping may be forced to change his mind due to the harsh terrain and the sea surrounding the island. During the Dutch colonial administration in 1928, the island was used as a place of exile.

As a place of exile, the Dutch built nine penitentiaries on the island: Karang Anyar and Nirbaya penitentiaries in 1912, Gliger in 1925, Karang Tengah and Besi in 1927, Permisan in 1928, Limus Buntu and Batu in 1935 and Kembang Kuning in 1950.

However, according to the warden of Batu Penitentiary, Sudiyanto, only four of the nine prisons -- Batu, Besi, Permisan and Kembang Kuning -- are still in use. The other five prisons are in ruins.

Prison guards and their families live on the 21,000-hectare Nusakambangan island, and of course the prisoners.

The island was established as a place of exile based on Law No. 25/1912 and No. 34/1937, enacted by the then Dutch governor general. The Indonesian government repealed its status as a restricted area in 1974 through Presidential Decree No. 38/1974. The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights retains jurisdiction over the island.

Nusakambangan island is located between the provinces of West and Central Java. It can be reached in five to 10 minutes by ferry, owned by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, from Wijayapura pier in Cilacap to Sodong on Nusakambangan.

As a prison Island, Nusakambangan emanates an eeriness for those on the island, due to its seclusion and dense forest covering. Prison ruins indicate that the island has been an island prison for many decades.

The Batu correctional facility has the capacity to house 500 prisoners. Currently there are only 206 inmates in Batu. Sudiyanto, who is also coordinator of all prisons in Cilacap and Nusakambangan, said that of the four prisons, Besi prison was used to house prisoners convicted on drug charges. Besi can house 500 convicts but currently only accommodates 142.

He said there were seven convicts on death row in Batu prison.

Due to the isolation, Nusakambangan prison guards seem a breed apart. Residents' houses are relatively far from the guards' official quarters, which are adjacent to the prisons on Nusakambangan.

"There are only guards and prisoners here," said Sudiyanto.

He jokingly said that the guards were more or less in prison too.

"If they want to eat baso (meatball soup), it's not like in town where they can immediately buy it. They have to leave the island to get it," he said.

Communication means are also limited, such as in Permisan prison where there is no telephone line.

Meanwhile, warden of Besi prison, Ilham Djaya, said three of the 142 prisoners convicted for drugs were on death row.