Bogor may ban 'dangerous' hobbies

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Tue, 05/09/2006 12:00 PM | Jakarta

The Jakarta Post, Bogor/Theresia Sufa

In the near future, Bogor residents could have a hard time finding a place to fly kites or play with catapults.

The Bogor administration is drafting a regional regulation banning residents from flying kites and playing with weapons such as catapults, crossbows, and air guns, or simply pelting rocks in the streets.

If the regulation goes into effect, those who break it could be fined Rp 50 million (US$5,555) or sentenced to three months in prison.

The so-called draft regulation on public order and sanitation was initiated by the Bogor legislative council on April 3.

The Bogor administration has responded positively, saying it fully understands the aims of the proposed regulation.

""We (the administration and the legislative council) share the same hope that one day a clean and orderly Bogor will materialize,"" said Dody Rosady, an official from the mayoral administration, after a plenary meeting on Thursday.

The bill also bans people from defecating and urinating in public areas, including parks and public facilities.

It further prohibits the construction of unofficial temporary houses, and sleeping on streets or in parks.

Dody said the problem of public order and sanitation needed to be addressed by a regional regulation. ""As stipulated under the Regional Autonomy Law, public order should be managed by the regional administration,"" he said.

The draft would replace a 1990 government regulation on public order, sanitation and beauty, which regulates prostitution.

Thus, if it's adopted, there will likely be no regulation dealing with prostitutes, since the current draft has contains nothing on the subject.

Dody suggested regulations on sanitation and public order should be separated.

""The problem of sanitation should be part of the regulation on sanitation management so we have an integrated policy on the matter,"" he said. (01)

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