Red light area to be closed

JAKARTA (JP): The West Jakarta administration will close down 26 brothels, comprising some 110 rooms, in the notorious Kalijodo red light district over the next week.

Karsidin, an administration official, said on Monday that the government is still preparing a decree to ban prostitution in the area to pave the way for the government's plan to develop a green area.

The job was not easy as Karsidin said that a pimp had tried to bribe him Rp 80 million (US$38,000) to cancel the plan.

"Someone called me and promised to give such an amount of money if only the proposal was canceled," Karsidin was quoted by Terbit as saying. (09)