Alleged prostitutes nabbed in city antivice operation

JAKARTA (JP): City social and public order agencies arrested on Friday 29 alleged female prostitutes in a move to cleanse the city of prostitution.

"This is only the beginning. We'll hold a month-long public order operation in February," the head of the City Social Agency's Social Welfare Rehabilitation section, Nur Prayitno, who also leads the operation, told The Jakarta Post.

Another official, Waskito, described Friday's raid as a direct sweep on prostitutes.

"Actually, I prefer the indirect operation method of Operasi Rayu, where plainclothes officials pose as clients and lure hookers to hotels," he told the Post.

"Instead of going to a hotel, we bring them to the city-run Kedoya Rehabilitation Center in West Jakarta. This way, we know for sure if the women are hookers," he said, while acknowledging it takes a lot of money to bait the alleged prostitutes.

"We have to pay in cash whatever amount they ask for, or we won't be able to catch them."

It is still unclear whether the February operation will use a direct or indirect method.

Head of the City Public Order Office's Public Places section, Toha Reno, said the option would rest on the situations in the field.

"We'll most likely combine both methods," Toha said.

The city observed an outflow of streetwalkers soon after the administration closed the Kramat Tunggak red-light district in North Jakarta on Dec. 8.

The officials at the City Social Agency, however, denied that there was any relation between the closure of Kramat Tunggak and an increasing number of streetwalkers.

The social agency records show that there are more than 3,000 prostitutes operating outside Kramat Tunggak. No data was available on the number of streetwalkers in Jakarta.

Officials started the operation at 11 p.m. and combed city streets, especially in areas known to be popular hangouts.

They started with Jl. Gunung Sahari in Central Jakarta, Jl. Hayam Wuruk in West Jakarta and the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta. They worked their way to Jl. M.H. Thamrin and Jl. Blora in Central Jakarta, to Jl. Sahardjo, Jl. Jatinegara and Jl. Pramuka in East Jakarta, before they ended the operation on Jl. Suprapto in Central Jakarta.

Most women arrested, however, denied that they were streetwalkers. Some cried as soon as they were put in a van transporting them to the Kedoya Rehabilitation Center.

"Where are you taking me to, Pak? What will you do to me?" a girl asked.

Others simply cried loudly.

"I was having dinner with my boyfriend. What am I going to do? I'm going to have my son circumcised tomorrow," said a woman identified as Yuli. She was arrested in the Jatinegara area of East Jakarta.

She broke into tears when asked why she was out in the early hours of Saturday instead of preparing for her son's event.

Meanwhile, alleged veteran prostitutes only laughed and cursed their bad luck.

"Darn, I was just starting out when you picked me up," a woman in her thirties, who was arrested for the second time, told the officials. She was picked up in the Cempaka Putih area of Central Jakarta.

Some were calm and confident that they were not doing anything wrong.

"I was having dinner with my mother. I wanted to call my friend when you caught me. Here, I am still holding the coins," said one, identified as Angel, to the officials.

She claimed that her relatives were high-ranking officers in the military.

"I'm also a relative of a well-known general," she said.

Another girl, identified as Tria, seemed to know Angel very well.

"We grew up together and are best friends. I know that Angel wouldn't do such a thing," she said.

Tria later acknowledged that she asked between Rp 200,000 and Rp 300,000 (US$27 to $40) for one-hour service.

"I only pick those with nice cars," she said.

Separately, a coordinator at the Kedoya Rehabilitation Center interviewed on Sunday, Gozali, said five or seven of the arrested women were not streetwalkers.

"We'll soon release them after their families finish with the administrative work," he said on the phone, while acknowledging it was difficult to get the real story out of them.

"It's also difficult to identify them either as hookers or common residents unless the officials catch them soliciting."

"We can't easily believe whatever they say about themselves. They often give contradictory statements to the officials asking their identity," he said.

"It took a whole night and day to dig the truth out of them. We have to be very patient here," he added. (05)