Rp 33b needed to close brothel

JAKARTA: The city administration announced on Tuesday that it would need Rp 33 billion (US$3.3 million) for the acquisition of 1.6 hectares of land occupied by the illegal Boker brothel in Ciracas, East Jakarta, which would be closed on public demand.

"We hope that the land acquisition can start in the middle of this year," East Jakarta Mayoralty Secretary Ismet S. Hasan said after a hearing with the City Council Commission E for Social Welfare Affairs.

Ismet said a small soccer stadium would be built on the land, where a brothel was established in 1956 by a local resident named Boker and his brother Keong.

He revealed there were at present 300 prostitutes and 15 pimps that owned 15 houses in the complex.

The closure of the brothel had been planned for years but could not be carried out as it was believed to be backed by certain military officers.

"If necessary, you can ask the Army's Special Force (Kopassus) commander to close the brothel," Councillor Tadjus Sobirin of the Golkar Party told the mayor.

The brothel is located near the Special Force Headquarters in Cijantung. -- JP