The government is considering establishing a prison or rehabilitation center on Mantheevu Island, located off the coast of Batticaloa, according to a statement from the Ministry of Justice, Prisons, and Constitutional Reforms.
Mantheevu, an island spanning 100 acres in the Eastern Province, has historically been used to house leprosy patients.
Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksa recently visited the island to assess its suitability for addressing current congestion issues by potentially repurposing it for a prison or rehabilitation center.
The Ministry said that currently, only two leprosy patients are housed on the island, with it being utilized as a quarantine facility during the pandemic.
