No sex workers, please

TANGERANG: Hundreds of residents of Pondok Jaya subdistrict in Pondok Aren district and Sawah Lama subdistrict in Ciputat district demanded Tangerang regency administration to immediately rid their neighborhoods from prostitution.

"Many illegal kiosks (with sex workers posing as staff) exist along the road in Tegal Rotan area which connects Pondok Aren and Ciputat due to weak control from the regency's public order agency," Komaruddin, a local religious figure, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He said that residents were worried as most food and drink kiosk owners employed allegedly sex workers to attract visitors.

"Ramadhan (Muslim) fasting month is to begin and we don't want to see women with sexy dresses trying to tempt any (Muslim) men passing the kiosks," he said, adding that all the hookers should be exiled to one of the islands north of Jakarta.

Solahuddin, a local figure, said that the residents would help public order officers to clean up the area and get rid of the prostitutes.

"As of today, we have not seen any attempts by the public order agency to eliminate the rampant prostitution that just boosts the growth of crime and drug abuse here," he said. -- JP