70 more foreign sex workers arrested

70 more foreign sex workers arrested

Only two days after 68 foreign sex workers were arrested in
several nightclubs, saunas and beauty salons, city police
announced on Friday that they had arrested 70 more foreign sex
workers.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said the police
also arrested four alleged pimps who had brought the women to the
country and provided them with accommodation.

"Together with previous arrests, we have detained around 180
foreign workers. We are still examining who committed immigration
offenses. If they abused their visas by working as sex workers we
will deport them as soon as possible.

"If their visas are valid, they will be allowed to stay," he
said.

Firman added that the women, who come from China, Uzbekistan,
Russia and other East European countries, were liable to be tried
at court if it was discovered that they committed other crimes,
such as drug trafficking.

He said the police were questioning the four pimps to find out
whether they were members of a syndicate as well as to locate
their associates.

The raids, conducted under the Kencana Pura operation, are the
first against foreign sex workers in the capital.

"We will continue the operation until Jakarta is void of
foreign sex workers. We suspect that many other foreigners are
likewise abusing their visas, as we have arrested so many of them
in so few days," Firman said.

Observers suspect that the police and the immigration office
are collaborating with people to protect foreign sex workers,
since little had previously been done by the two institutions to
eliminate such workers from capital. -- JP