Former red-light district to become Islamic center
Former red-light district to become Islamic center
JAKARTA (JP): The city administration revealed on Friday its
plan to convert the former Kramat Tunggak brothel area in North
Jakarta into an integrated Islamic center.
Deputy Governor of social welfare affairs Djailani said the
center which would be built in the 11-hectare area, would be
equipped with education facilities and a bazaar.
"It will be a project of the administration although we would
not reject the involvement of private investors in the project. I
hope to start construction soon," he told City Hall reporters.
Djailani refused to give details on the amount of investment
needed to build the center, saying that the center's design was
still being developed.
He insisted that the area would not become a trading center as
was planned earlier.
He said the administration had canceled its memorandum of
understanding with a private investor who planned to build a
shopping complex in the defunct red-light district.
"We canceled the agreement since it was out of date. The
investors were also unable to implement their plan," Djailani
said.
The administration signed an agreement with a consortium of
investors to develop the former brothel complex in early 1999.
The consortium's leader PT Nuansa Jasa Realtindo, reportedly
doubted it would earn any profit from the project because of the
skyrocketing prices of building materials.
The investor said it also had difficulty obtaining credit from
banks to finance the project since the country was still facing
an economic crisis.
Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso officially closed down the largest
brothel complex in Jakarta on Dec. 8, 1999, following demands
from local residents.
The closure caused about 1,600 prostitutes and their 200 pimps
in 650 brothels to lose their jobs. Some of them changed their
trade and the others returned to their hometowns.
Since the plan to build the shopping complex was never
realized, some brothels quietly started to resume operations.
Djailani urged the North Jakarta Mayoralty to take stern
actions against the prostitution.
"It's illegal. We should kick them out," the deputy governor
remarked.
He admitted that in an effort to restore Kramat Tunggak's
image, the administration was considering changing its name but
had not made a final decision because this would affect other
aspects such as the legal considerations, he said.
Separately, city councillor Wasilah Sutrisno of the National
Mandate Party voiced his support for the administration's plan to
build the Islamic center in the former red-light district.
"If necessary, we should allocate the fund from the 2001 City
Budget," Wasilah, of the council's Commission E for social
welfare affairs, said.(jun)