Six establishments are punished for violations

Six establishments are punished for violations

JAKARTA (JP): Six establishments were temporarily closed down for violating regulations during the fasting month of Ramadhan.

An official of the city public office, Toha Reno, said yesterday that five of the six establishments have reopened for business after being closed for between two and three days.

A massage parlor on Jl. Mangga Besar, downtown, is still closed, he said.

Toha, who is the head of the entertainment department, added that his office has also strongly warned a restaurant for a similar offense.

Two of the six establishments closed down was a discotheque and a massage parlor, both in West Jakarta, he said.

Most of the establishments violated the governor's guideline No. 20/1996 on operation hours.

The city imposed a curfew on entertainment establishments around Jakarta during Ramadhan in which night clubs, discotheques and karaoke halls had to close by 2 a.m. while fitness centers, massage and sauna parlors had to close at 11 p.m. Live music performances, cultural events, bars, pubs and coffee shops had until midnight, according to a guideline issued by the governor's office.

Governor Surjadi Soedirdja also called on establishments to refrain from featuring vulgar or pornographic shows during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadhan.

Toha said that one restaurant was warned because the performer there was dancing with guests.

Speaking of the massage parlor which was closed down on Feb. 17, Toha said that it violated the regulation by opening during the day. Such centers are only permitted to operate between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. during Ramadhan.

It took some time for his office to discover this particular center's business because the owner cleverly received foreign guests only.

The massage parlor staff turned down Indonesian men saying that the parlor was closed during the day, he said. "But we did our job well and found the parlor violating the regulation," Toha said. (yns)