POLICE LAUNCH SWEEPS AGAINST VICE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Aug 22 (ANTARA) - Local authorities in different parts of the country are launching operations to clean social vice activities that could defile the on-going holy fasting month of Ramadhan.

        Entering the fasting month which this year begins on Saturday, August 22, 2009, security police are launching sweeps against abuse of drugs, alcoholic drinks, prostitution and errant night spots.

        Mass organizations were however officially reminded not to conduct vigilante sweeps of night spots during the holy month but report those violating operation hour rules to the authorities.

        The Jakarta tourism and culture affairs office issued the warning one day before the start of Ramadhan on Saturday to stave off the vandalism certain mass organizations had committed in the past against night spots they considered to have defiled the holy month by staying open.

        "The Jakarta police chief has made it quite clear that unauthorized mass organizations are not permitted to perform supervisory functions," head of the Jakarta tourism and culture office, Arie Budhiman, said Friday.

        In various parts of the country, local authorities have launched operations to sweep social vice at hotels and night spots.

        Local police in Bantul, Yogyakarta, for example, seized hundreds of bottles of alcoholic drinks.

        "We swept through a number of locations and roads in Kasihan sub-district, as well as residential houses suspected to store illegal drinks," Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of Bantul's Police, Adjunct Commissioner Edy Sugiharto said on Friday.

        He said that police seized 343 bottles of alcoholic drinks of various types and trade marks in Tamantirto area on Thursday. Police have previously confiscated hundreds of bottles of hard drinks from the same location.

        Edy Sugiharto said local police would continue to carry out sweeping against hard drinks in order to fight social vice and to maintain order in the region in the current fasting month.

        In Gorontalo, Sualwesi, local police destroyed 6,000 bottles of alcoholic drinks to welcome the fasting month of Ramadhan. Lomboto district police chief Senior Adjunct Commissioner Budi Widjanarto said the alcoholic drinks were destroyed as part of the efforts to fight social vice in Gorontalo.

        He said that the 6,000 bottles of alcoholic drinks were confiscated during police operations in a number of spots in Gorontalo this year.

        The aim of the operation, he said, is to guarantee the stability of the people's security and orderliness in Gorontalo, particulary in the face of the fasting moth. "It is our responsibility to fight and eradicate social vice in this region," Budi Widjanarko said.

        In the meantime, in Sidrap district, South Sulawesi, tens of cafe attendants were arrested by local police who launched illegal hard drink operations.

        Several others were taken into custody when police found them holding an alcoholic drink party in a motel. Sidrap Police chief Senior Adjunct Commissioner Pondadi SIK said tens of cafe attendants and youth were caught-red handed holding a hard drink party. He said that they were nabbed in an operation to welcome the advent of the holy month of Ramadhan.

        "We have previously held a meeting with a number of parties to discuss steps to be taken in the frame work of providing the people with security feeling in the fasting month. After all, a circular on the local authorities' appeal to night spots to close has been distributed," the Sirap district police chief said.

        He said that the operation where a number of youths and cafe attendants were nabbed was only the beginning of a series of sweeps the Sirap police would carry out against hard drinks, firecrackers, narcotics and other social vice activities.

        Previously, at least nine prostitutes were also arrested in an operation which was directly led by Sidrap district head Rusdi Masse in a number of hotels.

        Head of Social Rehabilitation Service Zainal Abidin said the nine prostitutes were now being given guidance. "They are proven to be sex workers but the cafe attendants were not proven to be sex workers so that they were allowed to go home," Zainal Abidin said.

        Sweeps at hotels to welcome the fasting month were also carried out by police in Madiun district, East Java. Adjunct Commissioner Sutrisno of the Madiun district police said that his side nabbed five couples suspected to practice cohabitation at a hotel during the operation.

        Sutrisono said his side would be conducting operations from August 18, 2009 until September 6, 2008, in order to put in order social vice during the fasting month. The target of the operations included gambling, hard drinks, drug and other immorality deeds.

        Meanwhile, tens of students in Malang district, East Java, also called on the regional government to intensify operations against night spots and entertain centers during the fasting month. The students are grouped in the All Malang Campus Proselytizing Council (LDK) organization.

        LKD coordinator Muhzar said sweeps against entertainment centers such as cafe, discotheques, message parloers and red-light districts must continue to be made because many of them were still operating in the fasting month.

        "I could not understand whey they still operate quietly despite the fact that there has been a decree sent to them to ban operation during the fasting month. That's why operations must continue," Muhzar said.

        In Surabaya, hundreds of activists of the Islamic Unity Forum (Forpui) visited a number of red-light districts to warn organizers to close their business in the fasting month.

        "It should not happen that the fasting month is defiled with immorality deeds," Muhzar, who was accompanied by Secretary General of the Islamic Liberation Front (FPI) M Choiruddin, said.***4*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/14:40/A/O001) (T.A014/A/A014/A/O001) 22-08-2009