City and disco owners to discuss Ecstasy
City and disco owners to discuss Ecstasy
JAKARTA (JP): The public order office has invited 150 owners
and managements of discotheques to City Hall today to discuss the
best way to curb Ecstasy transactions.
The head of the city public order office, Kusaeni Budiarjo,
said yesterday that talks between city officials, military and
police officers and the owners and managements of nightspots are
crucial in the fight against Ecstasy use and trafficking at the
establishments.
The Jakarta Military Command, Jakarta Police and City Tourism
Office have agreed to send representatives to the meeting,
Kusaeni said.
"We plan to limit or forbid house music in discotheques if it
is found that such music stimulates discogoers to take the banned
Ecstasy," he said.
Kusaeni said the managements can use the meeting to express
their problems. "We hope the managements will tell us everything,
then we will have feedback from the series of Ecstasy
crackdowns," he said.
The city administration, police and military have conducted
surprise raids on discotheques, hotels and other nightspots in
their efforts to apprehend drug traffickers and prostitutes as
well as military and police officers who frequent such
establishments.
The raids have produced varying responses. Observers say the
police and military must find a better way to foil the growing
Ecstasy business and stop harassing disco patrons.
The raids have also produced complaints from establishment
owners and managements, who say the officers terrify their
customers and claim the number of visitors dropped days after the
"military" raids took place.
They said they support any effort to curb the drug business,
but resent having their patrons bothered.
A consumer advocate, Zumrotin K. Soesilo, said visitors that
frequent nightspots for relaxation but who are annoyed by such
"arbitrary" raids have the legal right to sue the military and
police.
Governor Surjadi Soedirdja has said that he will close any
nightspot used for drug trafficking.
Jakarta has 3,233 nightspots, including discotheques, bars,
nightclubs and karaoke centers. Thousands of people depend on
nightspots for a living. They are also a good source of revenue
for the city. (yns/sur)