Kalijodo red-light district never dies

Kalijodo red-light district never dies

Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Most squatters in the red-light area of Kalijodo -- meaning
river of destiny -- in West Jakarta vow they will never leave the
area, despite the demolition of about 150 houses Wednesday.

"The city government always argues that they will soon occupy
this location, but in the past nothing really came true. Once
they said it would be used for a greenbelt area, then for a
hospital and later for flats," neighborhood unit chief Tamin T.
told The Jakarta Post Thursday.

Kalijodo, also a gambling center, is home to thousands of sex
workers, brothel owners and thugs. It lies on the riverbank of
Kali Grogol in the subdistrict of Penjagalan.

"It will be better if we run our business here as normal,
rather than leave the area empty and unoccupied. Kalijodo will
never die," said M. Ridwan Rangka, the owner of a former three-
storey brothel. He claimed his building was worth about Rp 30
million (US$3,333.33).

According to Penjaringan police chief Sr. Comr. Khrisna Murti,
as quoted by Koran Tempo, business transactions in the area could
total Rp 1 billion a day.

It is little wonder that most businesspeople in Kalijodo do
not want to move.

Neighborhood 05 community unit chief Yusin Kunarso, better
known as Pak Sarkun, said that last December riverbank squatters
were offered flats in Cengkareng, West Jakarta by the West
Jakarta municipality and the Buddha Tzu Chi foundation.

But the plan was delayed due to a protests from Abdul Azis, a
gambling godfather in the area. Abdul was also the owner of the
largest of the demolished houses.

The house owners are now demanding proper compensation from
the municipality, asking for a certain amount of money per square
meter, while the municipality only offered them Rp 500,000 per
building, plus Rp 100,000 per room.

Tamin said that only 30 house owners had accepted
compensation, while 100 others had refused, saying it was unfair.

A delegation of six were now negotiating with the
municipality.

A day after the evictions, gamblers, mainly Indonesian men of
Chinese origin living in the neighborhood, were seen gambling as
if nothing had happened.

Kalijodo and its surrounds was originally one of the city's
several Chinese neighborhoods. Today, many of the houses lining
the narrow alleys of Kalijodo are still occupied by Indonesians
of Chinese origin.

According to Suwardi, the owner of Wisma Aldi no. 49 -- a
small bar and motel -- the prostitutes in Kalijodo came from
various locations throughout the country, including Aceh, West
Java and Central Java.

In an ironic twist, places of worship are present in this red-
light area. A mosque lies at one end of a narrow path, while a
church and a Buddhist temple are located across from a gambling
hall.