Red-light district to be shut down

JAKARTA (JP): The city's oldest red-light district, Kramat Tunggak in North Jakarta, will be closed on Dec. 8, the day before the Muslim fasting month of Ramadhan begins, an official said on Wednesday.

The head of the city's social services agency, Edi Widodo, said the closure of the 10.4-hectare brothel complex would occur on the same day the last of 320 prostitutes completed an education and training program.

"After Dec. 8 all activities in the red-light district must be stopped. We call on the public to help monitor the brothels after their closure," Edi said.

He said at least 650 prostitutes from the district had completed a training program and 522 of them had returned to their hometowns.

Quoting data from the agency's monitoring unit, Edi said 46 of the 650 prostitutes had married, nine opened their own businesses and three worked at private firms. "Sixty prostitutes, however, could not be traced. They probably returned to the streets."

He said the agency had difficulty finding new jobs for those who worked as procurers at the brothels.

Property developer PT Nuansa Jasa Realtindo earlier agreed to develop the district into an integrated business complex, but withdrew from the agreement last September.

The city administration is now looking for new investors to develop Kramat Tunggak, Edi said.

Separately, city councilor Lambertus Ganadara from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) denied his faction opposed the closure of the red-light district.

"The PDI Perjuangan faction agrees with the closure. We know that local residents also support the closure," Lambertus, who sits on the Council's Commission E for Social Welfare Affairs, said.

Another councilor on the commission said earlier the PDI Perjuangan faction would oppose the closure.

The councilor, who asked for anonymity, said the commission members discovered during a visit to the district that a room in one of the brothels was used as a communications post for PDI Perjuangan. (jun)