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Pulau Jerejak gained its alias as The Alcatraz
of Malaysia, because of the Jerejak Prison.
Located towards the south eastern tip of Penang
Main Island, this 362ha island is rich with
history, flora and fauna.
This
island, though not as famous compared to
other islands in Malaysia, has had its fair
share of auspicious historical events. Francis
Light, founder of Penang was said to have
arrived in Pulau Jerejak in early 1786 before
heading on to Penang.
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 precaution
step these immigrants were sent to Jerejak's
health inspection centre before they were
deported to Penang.
Later
in the late 1930's, the British Empire built
a hospital that could house 150 Tuberculosis
patients at a time. This was located at
the eastern part of the island.
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