SEMARANG: The municipal authorities in Semarang, Central Java, will crack down on male and female students sharing rented houses who are not married.

Semarang Mayor Sukawi Sutarip said he would also ask neighborhood chiefs to campaign for a code of conduct among students and their visitors, those ignoring it would be reported to the police.

"Houses rented to students must be regulated to prevent couples who are not married living together and to minimize prostitution in the city," he said here over the weekend.

Sukawi also said that the municipal administration would impose an income tax on resident's renting out ten rooms or more.

Local newspapers reported recently that a number of rental houses near the state-run Diponegoro University in the city have become entertainment centers and promoted prostitution.-- JP