Masseurs give more than the gentle touch, police say

JAKARTA (JP): After one month of careful surveillance, the Jakarta Police on Wednesday afternoon assigned three undercover women officers to check out the suspicious goings-on at a house on Jl. Tebet Barat Dalam in South Jakarta.

Police detectives tentatively concluded that the two-story house, with a sign reading "Associate Language Center" on the front gate, was a front for sexual services provided for women in the house and also served as a hangout for male prostitutes waiting to be called for outside assignations.

The policewomen, whose identities were withheld by the police, were met by receptionists Ani and Dika.

The three women said they wanted the male massage services advertised in the local media.

The ad claimed attractive young men and women were available to provide "really fresh massage".

Near the reception desk, several strapping young men chatted among themselves.

After asking details of the service, the three women approached the men and talked with them.

Watching nearby was proprietor Wan Yan Slamet, alias Anton, 30. He was suspicious of the women's behavior and told his receptionists to inform them that it was too early for the services.

"The women were good looking but I felt that there was something about them that was scary. So I thought they must be undercover policewomen," said Anton.

The women eventually left the house with the phone number of the men.

Several hours later, they called to invite their new acquaintances -- Bram, 22, Andre, 21, and Tono, also 21 -- to Sofyan hotel in Cikini, Central Jakarta.

With their standard supplies of body lotion and towels, the young men left for the hotel at about 1 p.m.

They were in for a shock when they entered the room.

Instead of the three women, they were greeted by a group of plainclothes police officers, who informed the bewildered young men that they were under arrest for prostitution.

Police said they confiscated two packets of condoms from the three.

Anton disavowed any knowledge of an arrangement between his employees and the women.

"They were arrested at the hotel and not at my place," he said.

After the arrests, the police raided Anton's "language course" center about an hour later. They arrested Anton, seven young men and the two receptionists.

They were taken to Jakarta Police Headquarters for questioning.

"We'll process them under different charges as they played different roles in this indecency," city police detectives chief Alex Bambang Riatmodjo said on Thursday.

From preliminary questioning, police said the people were charged under Article 296 of the Criminal Code for aiding others to commit indecency as an occupation, which carries a maximum penalty of 16 months imprisonment and a fine of Rp 1,000 (less than 14 U.S. cents)

Police boasted of the use of the three women to "fish" out the male prostitutes and dismissed suggestions the arrests might have been a misunderstanding.

"They can show their license to run the English course but we caught them red-handed, prostituting themselves to women," Alex said.

Anton, who said he was a 1994 graduate of the Bandung Teachers Training Institute, said the young men offered massage but did not engage in sex with customers.

He said male prostitutes would charge their customers from Rp 1 million to Rp 3 million for sexual services, but his prices were much lower.

"It's just a massage service for which our customers only pay between Rp 55,000 to Rp 75,000, excluding taxes."

Police said that Anton's young men confessed that services at the Tebet address cost Rp 150,000, and services outside were Rp 500,000.

One of the detainees, Denny, 21, who was shown to the media on Thursday, vehemently denied that he was a male prostitute.

The baby-faced Bogor native was camera shy, refusing to allow photographs because he was afraid of his parents' reaction if they saw him in the newspapers or on television.

Denny said he started working at the center after graduating from high school.

"I only gave massage to people. Yes, most of our customers are middle-aged women, but that doesn't mean they could have sex with us."

Denny admitted he had no prior training in massage, but said he took up Anton's offer.

Anton added: "Most of us are friends and we decided to run this business three months ago after our main business of the language course became sluggish."

He said he rented the house for Rp 2.5 million per year.

Alex promised sweeping raids on other fronts for male prostitution which have proliferated in the city in the past year. (emf)