KISDI protest against gambling

JAKARTA (JP): About 200 members of the Indonesian Committee for World Muslim Solidarity (KISDI) demonstrated in front of City Hall on Thursday demanding the city administration put a stop to gambling activities in the capital.

Arriving in three buses, the protesters, calling themselves Jundullah (God's soldiers), unfurled posters objecting to the mushrooming gambling in the city.

Protest leader Ahmad Sumargono said his group had conducted a survey and found gambling activities at Omni Batavia Hotel in the downtown Kota area and at Prinsen Park Hotel in Mangga Besar, both in West Jakarta.

"We know that Omni Batavia Hotel stopped its gambling activities two days ago. But the hotel might resume the business soon," Sumargono said in a meeting with the city administration's executives.

He showed an advertisement in Aktual tabloid, promoting illegal gambling dens in the two hotels. The advertisements stated that the gamblers' safety is guaranteed.

He told city officials to take stern action against the two hotels, saying otherwise the group would act to stop them.

Sumargono said KISDI also demanded that the city take stern action against the mushrooming togel (toto gelap) gambling.

Gambling is illegal, while togel or judi buntut is a highly popular game here. Gamblers choose two or four numbers, and the winning numbers are announced every two to three days by game operators.

Offering substantial cash prizes for winners, togel has captured the hopes of many less fortunate people affected by the economic crisis. (jun)