Batam mayor unsure of Ramadhan closures

BATAM, Riau: Batam Mayor Nyat Kadir said on Tuesday he was still undecided about ordering entertainment centers on the island to close during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan.

"We are still considering the demand from Islamic organizations to close these places during Ramadhan. We have to consider the fate of the thousands of people who work in such places," he told The Jakarta Post.

Nyat Kadir said that last year his office was powerless to take action when entertainment centers ignored an operational ban.

There are currently 70 entertainment centers on the island, employing some 3,000 people.

"We are only asking them to stop their operations for 30 days. We don't think they will suffer much," Azari Abas, chairman of the Batam chapter of Indonesia Ulemas Council, said.

Bambang Yulianto, regional coordinator of the Indonesian Union for Labor Welfare, said he hoped the mayoralty administration and Islamic organizations would consider the human impact of ordering a closure.

"It would have a severe impact on the wives and children of thousands of people who work at places like karaoke lounges and massage parlors," he said. --JP