Tanamur and Cafe Batavia closed by authorities<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta administration temporarily closed
\ndown two famous nightclubs -- Tanamur and Cafe Batavia --
\nyesterday morning for allegedly failing to abide by the existing
\nregulations governing amusement centers, an official said.<\/p>\n
The Tanamur discotheque in the Gambir district, Central
\nJakarta, was shut down because it was believed to have been used
\nfor transactions involving various prohibited drugs, while Cafe
\nBatavia was closed because it allegedly operated beyond its
\nclosing time of 2 a.m.<\/p>\n
A.F. Lapian, head of the City Law and Order Office, said that
\nthe closure of the two establishments was carried out by a team
\nof a number of institutions, including the City Tourism Office,
\nthe City Law and Order Office and the City Police.<\/p>\n
Two people were caught red-handed, engaged in a drug
\ntransaction at Tanamur, when members of the team arrived at the
\ndiscotheque, Lapian said.<\/p>\n
It is not yet known when the two nightclubs will be allowed to
\noperate again. \"Everything depends on the police's
\ninvestigation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
City Police spokesman Lt. Col. Bambang Haryoko confirmed
\nyesterday that a suspect had been arrested and detained at the
\ncity police headquarters for questioning.<\/p>\n
The owner of Tanamur, Achmad Fachmi, strongly protested the
\ncity administration's decision to close his discotheque.<\/p>\n
\"What they have to do is to seize the drug dealers. Don't make
\nus scapegoats,\" Fachmi said.<\/p>\n
He criticized the police for blaming discotheques after they
\nfailed to deal with the alarming drug trade in the city.<\/p>\n
He told The Jakarta Post that Tanamur would be open as usual
\nand that he had not received any official order from the city
\nadministration or the police not to open the discotheque.<\/p>\n
\"If they issue the order I will sue them because we are
\ninnocent,\" Fachmi said.<\/p>\n
Fachmi said he was not aware of drug trafficking in the
\ndiscotheque, saying, \"there are thousands of people, how could we
\nspot such transactions?\"<\/p>\n
\"Even if there is drug dealing here, that is not my problem.
\nSuch transactions could occur anywhere. If a drug transaction
\ntakes place at a bus terminal, should you close the terminal?\"<\/p>\n
He said that Tanamur had cooperated with police in the arrest
\nof a number drug dealers who had operated in the discotheque in
\nthe past.<\/p>\n
Tanamur even hired several police officers to direct security
\nin the discotheque, according to Fachmi.<\/p>\n
The 25-year-old Tanamur is one of the favorite night spots in
\ntown, popular with both locals and foreigners.<\/p>\n
An employee of Batavia Cafe, who asked not to be named, said
\nthat he had never heard about the order to prevent the
\ndiscotheque from operating. \"We will open as usual 24 hours a
\nday,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Yesterday's closure brought the number of discotheques closed
\ndown by the city administration during the past few days to five.
\nThe other three were Terminal One in Glodok, West Jakarta,
\nUnicorn in Mangga Besar, West Jakarta, and Metropolis at the
\nNiaga Tower in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Terminal One and Unicorn were closed down for reportedly
\noperating outside legal trading hours, while the Metropolis
\ndiscotheque was closed because it was allegedly found to have
\nemployed foreign artists illegally.<\/p>\n
Lapian said that the city administration was currently
\nintensifying control over the operations of 25 discotheques as
\npart of its drive to uphold rules. (31\/bsr\/sim)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tanamur-and-cafe-batavia-closed-by-authorities-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}