About 100 old buildings to be renovated for tourism

JAKARTA (JP): Around 100 old buildings in Jl. Kali Besar Timur, Kali Besar Barat and Kunir near the Chinatown area, all in West Jakarta, will be renovated and used for business and tourism purposes.

Chairman of West Jakarta's tourism sub-office, Parlindungan Hutabarat, was quoted by the Kompas morning daily as saying over the weekend that West Jakarta mayor Sutardjianto had ordered owners of the old buildings to stop all activities in them from Aug. 16.

The old buildings are currently used mostly as warehouses.

Sutardjianto has also ordered the owners to move their activities to other places, including to Kamal area as suggested by the West Jakarta mayoralty, within two months, said Hutabarat.

"Since 1984 we have asked the owners to move out and to preserve the old buildings, but they have failed to meet our demand," Hutabarat said.

He said the warehouses have caused traffic jams around the area. At night, when there is no activity at the warehouses, the area is rife with prostitution and crimes.

He added that some investors have shown interest in making use of the buildings to convert them into restaurants, hotels and other business purposes.

Hutabarat said Cafe Batavia, located in front of the Fatahillah Museum, is an example of such a renovation. The area was previously quiet at night, but since the new cafe was opened, it has turned into a lively and attractive neighborhood. (als)