Ulemas to raid street cafes

BOGOR (JP): Thousands of ulemas threatened to ravage street cafes along the main road in Parung, Cileungsi, Jonggol and Puncak if the places, where prostitutes are believed to operate, were not closed down by Aug. 20.

The chairman of the Bogor ulemas assembly, Habib Ahmad Syaugi Gathmyr, said on Thursday the Puncak area in East Java would be the main focus of the raid.

"If we see nothing done by Aug. 20, we will deploy our ulemas to destroy those places," he said.

In response to the threat, deputy regent chief Nana Suryana held a meeting with Bogor Police chief Sr. Comr. Bambang Wasgito and several ulemas to discuss the matter.

"We have instructed the local administration to close down the street cafes, the deadline is Aug. 17. We have also requested the ulemas to not take the matter into their own hands," Nana said.

He also called on the ulemas to respect the rights of the stall owners and their workers.(21/06)