200 prostitutes sent to Cirebon rehab

CIREBON, West Java: Some 200 sex workers apprehended by Jakarta Police have been transported to Cirebon Budi Dharma Rehabilitation Center, Palimanan district, some 20 kilometers west of town.

The prostitutes, who were transported by four buses and heavily guarded by security personnel, arrived at the center early Wednesday so that local people did not notice their arrival.

"The prostitutes were captured when they were conducting their business in nightspots and massage parlors in Jakarta. They have been transported here because they are native to the surrounding areas such as Indramayu, Majalengka and Kuningan regencies," Ade of the center told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

She said the center would teach the sex workers practical skills that could be used to embark on a new profession. --JP