City nabs 29 alleged sex workers

JAKARTA: Some 24 women and five men dressed as women were arrested by the city administration's joint team for allegedly operating as sex workers on the streets during a raid that started late on Wednesday evening and ended early Thursday.

"They were brought here by city officers at around 3:00 a.m.," said Sulaiman Nasution, a staff member at the Rehabilitation Center in Kedoya, West Jakarta. "The youngest of them is 17 years old, while the oldest is 50."

He said that the arrested persons would receive several short courses on cooking and other skills during their stay at the center.

The joint team comprised from officers from Jakarta Police and officials from City Public Order Agency and City Social Agency. They targeted certain streets known to be areas where the public can make contact with commercial sex workers. -- JP