Prostitution rife in Batam

BATAM, Riau: Prostitution is becoming more widespread in the city of Batam, Riau, making the presence of prostitutes at hotels, lodgings and shopping centers a common sight.

Most of Batam's star-rated hotels, guest houses and shopping plazas are teeming with sex workers, who eye foreign tourists from Singapore and Malaysia.

About 4,000 foreign visitors vacationing on this island city every weekend witness a fairly large number of mostly teenage girls offering their services. Visitors to Batam are undeterred by the high incidence of HIV infection in Riau.

The city administration in the meantime plans to localize prostitution activity, tentatively on Rempang island, amid growing objections to prostitution in the local community. --Antara