Batam hotels rebuked for gambling

BATAM, Riau: Local legislators, youth groups and religious leaders on Riau's Batam Island, known for its large number of sex workers, expressed deep concern on Saturday that star-rated hotels there had permitted gambling.

Some of them have opened casinos, but the local administration and police have closed their eyes to these illegal activities, they said.

Desman Wardi, a lecturer at the Ibnu Sina Institute who chairs the local Islamic Community Forum, slammed the authorities' inaction against the decadence which he said had tarnished the image of Batam as an international seaport.

"We will stage a massive rally if the local administration and police continue to turn a blind eye to all this," he said.

Urmy Sungkar, who chairs the Batam branch of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association, objected that hotels be held responsible for activities of their guests as they only provided rooms for their guests.

He said the association had no authority to warn the hotel managements in question.

Nur Syaryadi, a local legislator, asked the authorities to ban casinos and crack down on other gambling.

Meanwhile, Batam Mayor Nyat Kadir said all gambling and prostitution centers would be closed during the fasting month of Ramadhan. --Antara