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Berhala Island, Sabah5°52′11.8″N 118°08′37.8″E / 5.869944°N 118.143833°E  Berhala Island (Malay: Pulau Berhala) is a small forested island situated in Sandakan Bay in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia. The island is approximately 5 hectares in size and has prominent cliffs at its northern end.[1][2] Many birds of prey can be seen on and around Berhala, including brahminy kites, serpent eagles and sea eagles.[3] The island has a lighthouse at its highest point.[4] In the period prior to World War II, the island was used as a quarantine station for labourers coming from China and the Philippines, and was also home to a leper colony. During the war, civilian internees, including Agnes Newton Keith, her husband Harry Keith and Keith Wookey were held in the quarantine station which served as a makeshift internment camp, before being transferred to Batu Lintang camp in Kuching, Sarawak. After the civilians left, POWs were interned in the camp. A daring escape took place from Berhala Island in June 1943, when several POWs who were due to be transferred to Sandakan POW camp managed to escape to Tawi-Tawi in the Philippines.[5][6] Plans are currently in development to promote Berhala Island as a tourist attraction.[7] See alsoReferences
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Berhala Island (Malaysia).
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