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Nusakambangan is the name of an island in central Java, better known as a place situated some Correctional Institution (LP) high-security in Indonesia. The island is included in the administrative area of Cilacap and recorded in the list of the outer islands of Indonesia. To reach this island people have to cross by ferry from the port managed by a special Department of Justice Affairs namely from the Port Sodong cross to Cilacap, Central Java, for approximately five minutes and sat back in the ferry port in Cilacap Wijayapura. The ferry crossing is also specialized in captained and manned by a correctional officer (prison officials), not from the Department of Transportation, specifically for the purpose of transfer of prisoner transportation and also serve the transport needs of the LP's own employees and their families.
Kambangan island, with the status as a nature reserve, but is often used for military training, is also a habitat for rare trees, but many have been felled illegally. When these are left are mostly herbaceous plant, palm, and shrubs. Wood plahlar (Dipterocarpus litoralis) that can only be found on the island is often stolen because once dried, has a quality that is equivalent to meranti wood from Borneo.
Traditionally, the successor to the Sultanate of Mataram dynasty often perform rituals on the island and make it as a "jungle ritual". In the western part of the island, in a cave located in the mangrove forest areas, there is a kind of relic of VOC inscriptions [citation needed]. At the east end, on top of the cliff, the lighthouse stood a small fort Cimiring and Portuguese heritage. Various kinds of typical plants grown Javanese cultural rituals here. Nusa Kambangan recorded as the last defense of the plant Wijayakusuma true. From this island's name is derived: Nusakembangan, which means "island of flowers".
History of Nusakambangan
The island was made into a prison island during the Dutch period. The colonial government built a high security prison on the isolated island to exile criminals and political dissidents. The prison on Nusakambangan was opened in the mid-1920s by Indonesia's former Dutch colonial rulers and was once considered the harshest penal institution in South East Asia. The island was declared off-limits in 1905 by the Dutch.
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| door toward ancient prison |
Its usage as a prison island continued after independence. During the rule of former President Suharto, hundreds of political dissidents were imprisoned on the island. Most were political prisoners, members of the banned Communist Party of Indonesia.
In 1996, the island was finally opened to the public as a tourist destination.
The island has also been involved in refugee handling. About 140 Afghan refugees were detained on the island after their boat, which was en route to Christmas Island, Australia, sank in rough seas on August 17, 2001.[1]However, more than 90 of these refugees would later escape on September 19, 2001, sailing away in small fishing boats and are believed to be have headed for Australia.
The island was also affected by the July 2006 Java earthquake, when a tsunami triggered by a 7.7-magnitude undersea earthquake off the coast of Java. At least 11 villagers diappeared and 8 people killed in the aftermath, two of which are prisoners in Permisan prison. And at least fifteen inmates on the Nusakambangan prison island near Pangandaran were also missing.
Tourism
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.
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| small boat as the transportation |
Notable attractions include Permisan beach (pantai Permisan) with its beautiful white and gray sands near the Permisan jail lighthouse, 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 the Central Java Governor and Ministry of Justice in 1996. The Cilacap government then invested some Rp 1.7 billion in preparations for the opening up of the island, most of which was used on the construction of tourist-related infrastructure.
A special agency (BPOW) 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.
One of the main cultural events is Sedekah Laut (sea sacrifice), which is held by the Surakarta Sultanate every new year in the Javanese calendar.
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| in the old prison |
Nusakambangan also has many historical tourism objects that are:
There are nine prisons built in the island, four of which are still used:
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| Portuguese castle |
- Permisan prison, built in 1908,
- Batu prison, built in 1925,
- Besi prison, built in 1929,
- Kembangkuning prison, built in 1950.
There are also five inactive prisons:
- Nirbaya prison, built in 1912,
- Karanganyar prison, built in 1912,
- Karangtengah prison, built in 1928,
- Gliger prison, built in 1929,
- Limusbuntu prison, built in 1935.
