Bars, cafes may open during Ramadhan<\/p>\n
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Entertainment centers are allowed to operate during the
\nfasting month of Ramadhan, but operators were cautious on
\nSaturday amid fear of possible raids from hard-line groups.<\/p>\n
Deputy governor for administrative affairs Abdul Kahfi said on
\nFriday that the centers were allowed to open from the end of
\nTarawih evening prayer (about 8:30 p.m.) until the Sahur predawn
\nmeal (about 3 a.m.).<\/p>\n
\"It's unfair if we urge them to close for the whole month. How
\ncan their workers earn a living?\" Kahfi told reporters at City
\nHall, revealing the results of a meeting he held with operators
\nof entertainment centers and religious leaders on Thursday.<\/p>\n
But he added that those centers should not operate on the
\nfirst day of Ramadhan or the 17th day of the month, which is
\ncommemorated as Nuzulul Qur'an (The Revelation of Koran). They
\nshould also be closed on the first and second days of Idul Fitri,
\nwhich would fall on Dec. 16 and Dec. 17.<\/p>\n
There are over 1,200 places categorized as entertainment
\ncenters in the city that would be subject to the regulation on
\nopening hours during Ramadhan, which is similar to last year's
\nrule. They include gaming centers, movie theaters, golf courses,
\ndiscotheques, karaoke houses, nightclubs, saunas, barbershops and
\nplaces offering live music.<\/p>\n
Those located in hotels, however, are not included in the
\nlist. Restaurants are also excluded.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, operators of entertainment centers were cautious
\nover people's reactions.<\/p>\n
\"We have not yet decided whether we will open or not during
\nRamadhan because we still have to consider people's reactions,\" a
\nmember of staff at Tanamur discotheque, Central Jakarta, who
\nrequested anonymity, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.<\/p>\n
He referred to possible raids by hard-line groups such as the
\nIslamic Defenders Front, who attacked a number of cafes here last
\nyear.<\/p>\n
He urged the administration to deploy public order officers
\nand cooperate with police to secure the amusement centers that
\nopen during the fasting month.<\/p>\n
Separately, a member of staff at Fashion Cafe, Evina, said the
\ncafe would remain open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the fasting
\nmonth.<\/p>\n
\"We will open as usual as we also serve non-Muslims. We have a
\nlive band playing during that month,\" Evina told the Post.<\/p>\n
On Friday, some 50 members of the Justice Youth Movement, a
\nyouth wing of the Justice Party, staged a protest in front of
\nCity Hall on Friday, demanding the closure of amusement centers
\nduring Ramadhan. They threatened to forcibly close the centers if
\nthey were allowed to open during the month of fasting.<\/p>",
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