Since the municipal government shut down the Saritem prostitution area in the Andir district of Bandung, West Java, residents have struggled to find work.

One resident, Yudihari, 61, said he could no longer earn enough money to support his family. The father of seven said he could not pay his children's school fees.

Yudihari and hundreds of others have lost their jobs since the red-light district was closed a year ago.

In April 2007, Bandung Mayor Dada Rosada deployed 1,000 police officers to evict people from the red-light district. Hundreds of stalls and small stores were forced to close.

Saritem used to be home to at least 450 sex workers, 200 pimps and 85 brothels. About 2,000 people depended on the red-light district for their livelihoods.

"Before its closure, I could earn Rp 50,000 (US$5.50) from guests per day. I helped them look for women or buy drinks, snacks or cigarettes," Yudihari said.

He said this work allowed him to put three children through high school. They are now married and live separately, but he still has to pay school fees for four more children.

Epon, 49, a mother of eight, is also having trouble earning money. She used to sell rice and fried chicken from a small stall in Saritem, earning between Rp 100,000 and Rp 300,000 a day.

The mayor's decision to close the district was based on a local public order ordinance banning prostitution.

Dada has set aside Rp 5 billion to convert Saritem into "Kampung Santri", a religious area.

The mayor also has promised to provide skills training for Saritem residents, as compensation for the loss of their jobs. However, the promise has yet to be implemented in the field.

A Saritem resident, Bambang Suwarsa, said hundreds of people in the area had fallen into poverty since the red-light district was closed.

There have been several protests by residents, demanding officials help them find new jobs.

Yayan Kristian and Masnu from Saritem said that the closure has had an adverse impact on the people, not only financially but also psychologically.

Officers from the Andir police sub-precinct and the West Bandung precinct often conduct inspections of residents' homes to ensure they are not engaging in prostitution.

This has only further to upset people in the area.

"We are not terrorists who need to be monitored all the time. Why do they always watch us, while many other brothels are still operating under the management of rich people?" Yayan said.

Their anger peaked when Saritem resident Anang Sumanang, 49, died in police custody. There has never been a formal explanation of the death.

Anang was arrested for public drunkenness. His wife, Dede Rostika, 42, said that her husband rarely drank. She said frustration over being unemployed had caused him to drink.

Dede attempted to bring a wrongful death suit against the police, but could not afford to pay the Rp 1 million to have an autopsy performed on her husband.

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