The government is exploring the possibility of setting up a prison or a rehabilitation centre on the lonely Mantheevu Island off the coast of Batticaloa, a statement from the Justice, Prisons and Constitutional Reforms said.
Mantheevu is an island in the Eastern Province with 100 acres in extent, currently housing leprosy patients.
Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapaksha was on an observation tour of the island recently to explore the possibility of using the island to set up a prison or a rehabilitation centre as a solution to current congestion.
The Ministry said there are only two leprosy patients in the hospital now.
During the Covid 19 pandemic, it was used as a quarantine facility.
(dailymirror.lk)
