Kalijodo red-light district never dies<\/p>\n
Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Most squatters in the red-light area of Kalijodo -- meaning
\nriver of destiny -- in West Jakarta vow they will never leave the
\narea, despite the demolition of about 150 houses Wednesday.<\/p>\n
"The city government always argues that they will soon occupy
\nthis location, but in the past nothing really came true. Once
\nthey said it would be used for a greenbelt area, then for a
\nhospital and later for flats," neighborhood unit chief Tamin T.
\ntold The Jakarta Post Thursday.<\/p>\n
Kalijodo, also a gambling center, is home to thousands of sex
\nworkers, brothel owners and thugs. It lies on the riverbank of
\nKali Grogol in the subdistrict of Penjagalan.<\/p>\n
"It will be better if we run our business here as normal,
\nrather than leave the area empty and unoccupied. Kalijodo will
\nnever die," said M. Ridwan Rangka, the owner of a former three-
\nstorey brothel. He claimed his building was worth about Rp 30
\nmillion (US$3,333.33).<\/p>\n
According to Penjaringan police chief Sr. Comr. Khrisna Murti,
\nas quoted by Koran Tempo, business transactions in the area could
\ntotal Rp 1 billion a day.<\/p>\n
It is little wonder that most businesspeople in Kalijodo do
\nnot want to move.<\/p>\n
Neighborhood 05 community unit chief Yusin Kunarso, better
\nknown as Pak Sarkun, said that last December riverbank squatters
\nwere offered flats in Cengkareng, West Jakarta by the West
\nJakarta municipality and the Buddha Tzu Chi foundation.<\/p>\n
But the plan was delayed due to a protests from Abdul Azis, a
\ngambling godfather in the area. Abdul was also the owner of the
\nlargest of the demolished houses.<\/p>\n
The house owners are now demanding proper compensation from
\nthe municipality, asking for a certain amount of money per square
\nmeter, while the municipality only offered them Rp 500,000 per
\nbuilding, plus Rp 100,000 per room.<\/p>\n
Tamin said that only 30 house owners had accepted
\ncompensation, while 100 others had refused, saying it was unfair.<\/p>\n
A delegation of six were now negotiating with the
\nmunicipality.<\/p>\n
A day after the evictions, gamblers, mainly Indonesian men of
\nChinese origin living in the neighborhood, were seen gambling as
\nif nothing had happened.<\/p>\n
Kalijodo and its surrounds was originally one of the city's
\nseveral Chinese neighborhoods. Today, many of the houses lining
\nthe narrow alleys of Kalijodo are still occupied by Indonesians
\nof Chinese origin.<\/p>\n
According to Suwardi, the owner of Wisma Aldi no. 49 -- a
\nsmall bar and motel -- the prostitutes in Kalijodo came from
\nvarious locations throughout the country, including Aceh, West
\nJava and Central Java.<\/p>\n
In an ironic twist, places of worship are present in this red-
\nlight area. A mosque lies at one end of a narrow path, while a
\nchurch and a Buddhist temple are located across from a gambling
\nhall.<\/p>",
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