Sutiyoso gets tough on gambling, prostitution<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso has instructed all the city's
\nfive mayors and public order officers to close down entertainment
\nspots found to have become covers for gambling and prostitution
\nbusinesses.<\/p>\n
\"If the permits for running entertainment centers, including
\npubs, bars and games halls, are misused, they will surely be
\nrevoked,\" Sutiyoso said.<\/p>\n
He said that even though the closure of the spots will cause a
\ndefinite sharp increase in unemployment, this is still not a
\nreason to tolerate gambling and prostitution .<\/p>\n
\"So many people, depending on income generated from gambling
\ndens or from pimps and prostitutes, will lose their jobs,\"
\nSutiyoso said.<\/p>\n
\"But it's a risk we will take.\"<\/p>\n
Concealed alteration of entertainment centers into gambling
\ndens and brothels has come under severe criticism lately,
\nespecially following clashes between security guards of an
\nentertainment spot in Ketapang, West Jakarta, and local residents
\non Nov. 22.<\/p>\n
The clashes, which were believed to have originally been
\ncaused by a deep-rooted sentiment that the center was being used
\nas a prostitution den, became a major riot, which led to burning
\nand vandalizing of 22 churches as well as Protestant and Catholic
\nschools. Fourteen people were killed in the riot.<\/p>\n
About 100 people from the Moral Action Committee in the
\nStruggle for the Truth (Kampak), staged a demonstration at City
\nHall on Monday, urging the governor to close down all gambling
\nand prostitution dens before the coming holy month of Ramadhan in
\nthe middle of this month.<\/p>\n
Rizal Asral, one of the demonstrators, said that if demands
\nwere not met, they would hold more demonstrations.<\/p>\n
\"If the city administration is reluctant to do so, we will
\ndeal with the matter by ourselves,\" Rizal said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, owners of at least 80 of 200 entertainment spots in
\nCentral Jakarta were summoned on Monday evening by Central
\nJakarta Mayor Andi Subur Abdullah to be briefed about the
\npossibility of the closure of their businesses if their spots
\nwere found to be used as gambling and prostitution dens.<\/p>\n
Andi said on Sunday that the owners of the spots would also be
\nbriefed about their violations, including running their business
\nlong after the closing time as stated in the permits.<\/p>\n
He said that he was not happy with public order officers and
\nother security personnel who gave entertainment spot-owners
\nleeway by temporarily shutting down the spots for only three days
\nafter they were found to have violated the regulations.<\/p>\n
\"The spots usually open again and conduct gambling and
\nprostitution as usual after the officers have gone away,\" Andi
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He added that a remedy to the problem would be to give each of
\nthe city's mayors authority to issue permits and conduct
\ninspections of entertainment centers in their respective areas.
\n(ylt\/ind)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sutiyoso-gets-tough-on-gambling-prostitution-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}