Prostitution rife in Batam

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