T

he East Java Police say stern measures will be taken against any brothels attempting to reopen the Dolly after the Surabaya administration officially closed the red-light district recently.

'€œI don'€™t like violence, but we will act against those who continue operating prostitution businesses in Dolly,'€ East Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Unggung Cahyono said recently, adding that persuasive measures would continue to be used in dealing with the case.

He said the police had used helicopters to distribute pamphlets warning people to maintain public order during the closure of Dolly.

His remarks came after hundreds of locals announced that they would guard the former red-light district during Ramadhan in anticipation of any possible sweeps.

Slamet, spokesperson of a local advocates'€™ group (FPL), said that although there was no prostitution in Dolly during the fasting month, he was afraid there would be raids targeting brothels. He said 200 volunteers were ready to take turns in guarding the area.

'€œDolly always closes every fasting month, but we open again after Ramadhan. If there is a raid that intends to close Dolly for good, we are ready to fight,'€ he said.

He said the residents had decided to take the stance because they considered the closure of Dolly unfair.

'€œIf the administration really wants to eliminate prostitution, don'€™t merely target Dolly. Many other places covertly offer prostitutes, such as massage parlors and karaoke lounges,'€ he said.

The Surabaya administration closed Dolly, previously Southeast Asia'€™s largest red-light district, on June 18. Since then, the situation has remained tense, with brothel operators arranging their own security, such as alarms to assemble residents armed with sharp weapons.

Separately, Surabaya Public Order Agency head Irvan Widyanto said he was ready to deploy officers to monitor for establishments violating Bylaw No. 2/2008 on tourism.

'€œThe bylaw stipulates that discotheques, massage parlors, nightclubs, karaoke lounges, spas and pubs must close during Ramadhan. We are also ready to watch Dolly [in the long term] because the activity [prostitution] is illegal,'€ he said.

East Java Prosecutor'€™s Office spokesperson Romy Arizyanto said pimps and sex workers operating in Dolly could be taken to court if they insisted on operating after Ramadhan.

As of Friday, only 395 of 1,449 commercial sex workers and 64 of 311 pimps operating in Dolly had accepted government compensation of Rp 5 million (US$415).

Meanwhile, East Java Deputy Governor Saifullah Yusuf said his administration would cooperate with the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to deal with potential problems related to the closure of Dolly.

He said both had agreed to turn Dolly into an economic zone.

To date, the Surabaya administration has closed down six red-light districts: Tambak Asri, Klakah Rejo, Dupak Bangunsari, Sememi, Jarak and Dolly.