Kramat Tunggak ex-workers return despite slow business

JAKARTA (JP): Several former prostitutes from the Kramat Tunggak red-light district in North Jakarta, which was shut down by the authorities in December, have returned to their previous place of employment to wait for customers.

Interviewed by The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, the women, their pimps and locals said business at the complex, which used to bring in at least Rp 400 million a day, was still sluggish.

The prostitutes said there was no alternative but to return to the Kramat Tunggak complex to earn money.

Widi (not her real name), 24, who returned to her hometown of Surabaya immediately after Governor Sutiyoso closed the 258 brothels in the area, said she came back to the complex last month because she heard the place was back in business.

"I have a three-year-old son, I'm divorced and I can not find another job so I decided to come back," Widi said, adding that she left her son with her parents in Surabaya.

Titi, 19, returned last month to the brothel she used to work in, after operating independently in Tambun, Bekasi, shortly after the complex was closed.

"I missed mami," Titi said referring to her boss, who runs the brothel.

Since the complex was ordered closed, the city has witnessed an increasing number of prostitutes on the streets of the capital.

An ojek (motorcycle taxi), Dadang, said one out of 10 brothels were in business again.

"When people know Kramat Tunggak is operating once more, I bet this place will thrive once again," Dadang said.

The complex started to grow after former Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin signed a decree on April 21, 1970, ordering the construction of the complex, making it the only officially recognized red-light district in the city.

Setiobudi, the head of a local neighborhood on the 10.4- hectare complex, said 20 out of 42 brothels in his neighborhood were occupied by their owners after they were vacated in December.

"But not all the houses are open for business," Setiobudi said, adding that business had slowed down because customers were still afraid to come back due to routine checks carried out by police.

Widi said due to a lack of customers, she had to help a local vendor run a small kiosk so she could earn enough money.

"If I'm lucky, I get one customer a day," Widi said.

Citing the old rate of Rp 50,000 for a quick service, Widi said she gave one-fifth of her fee to the head of the brothel for the use of a room.

However, a head of a brothel, claiming to speak for many of her colleagues, said she had no intention to reopen her business.

"Actually I want to start a new life, but I need money to do that," Yati, 42, said while holding back tears.

"I've sold everything -- the contents of my beauty parlor, sofas, tape recorder -- you name it. Someday I'll have nothing left to sell and I won't be able to buy food," she said.

She acknowledged to having stayed at her brothel because she had nowhere else to go.

Yati said 80 percent of all madams there did not have any hope that the government would reopen the area.

"It's impossible for the governor to close it and then reopen it later. That would be too embarrassing for him. That's why we've repeatedly asked the government to buy our houses so that we can have money to start a new life," she said.

She said many madams had signed a petition, requesting the governor to buy their land, but they did not receive a reply.

"The government arbitrarily closed this complex but did not give us any alternative jobs," she said.

In an effort to find money to realize her dreams, Titi said she spent Rp 6,000 every day on a lottery run by a local gambling operator.

She said she hoped to win the first prize of Rp 6 million so that she could buy a kiosk to run.

Titi offered the Post a chance in the lottery, saying that she would keep the ticket and check to see if the numbers matched.

"Come tomorrow to get the money. I live at brothel number 14. Just ask for me by my nickname, Unyil," Titi said and cheerfully left with a lottery ticket in her hand.(08)