Nightclub owners agree to Ramadan limits

JAKARTA: The Indonesian Association of Nightspot Owners (Asphindo) said Monday that its members would obey the 2004 bylaw on tourism that limits their operating hours during the fasting month of Ramadan, which begins this week.

“We fully support implementation of the bylaw. We must respect [Ramadan],” Asphindo chairman Adrian Mailite said at a meeting comprised of representatives of the city’s authorities and mass organizations.

Under the bylaw, entertainment centers including nightclubs, discotheques, massage parlors and sauna are prohibited from operating during Ramadan, while karaoke clubs, live music venues and billiards halls are allowed to remain open. Asphindo represents more than 100 nightspot owners. — JP