St. Johns Island, previously known as Pulau Sakijang Bendera, is one of the Southern Islands in Singapore.
St. Johns Island formerly housed a quarantine station for cholera cases detected among immigrants in the late 19th century, and starting from 1901, victims of beri-beri were also brought to the island.
The quarantine station was eventually also used to house victims of other diseases, such as leprosy. When mass immigration was closed in mid-20th century, the island was used to house a penal settlement and a drug rehabilitation centre.
In 1975 the island was transformed into a tranquil getaway with swimming lagoons, beaches, picnic grounds, trekking routes and football fields. The island is also a haven for a host of flora and fauna, and is popular for weekend visits. There is also a small jetty at the southern end of the island to transport visitors to and from the mainland.
The island, reputedly haunted according to some local traditions, was the site of Sir Stamford Raffles’s anchorage before meeting the Malay chief of Singapore in 1819.
Tropical Marine Science Institute, Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority(AVA) of Singapore’s Marine Aquaculture Centre. A detention centre for illegal immigrants still remains is located here in the island.
Holiday-makers yearning for an island stay on St. Johns Island can book the Holiday Bungalow, which can accommodate up to 10 persons and comes furnished with a kitchen. Organised groups can stay over in the dormitories at the Holiday Camps which can take up to 60 persons. The dormitories are equipped with basic cooking facilities.
