Bengkulu/Makassar – As many as 5,500 bottles of liquor seized in Bengkulu were destroyed on Tuesday under the watchful eye of local administrators and police and military commanders, as authorities across the country held pre-Ramadan raids targeting various social vices.
Apart from the liquor, Bengkulu authorities also seized pornographic VCDs, one kilogram of marijuana, 24 jars of glue (presumably used for sniffing) and about a hundred boxes of traditional medicine that had expired.
"Plagues such as these will never be completely wiped out, but this is not just the responsibility of the police, it is our shared responsibility to deal with this," said Brig. Gen. M. Ghufron, the chief of Bengkulu Police.
Ghufron added that authorities had joined hands with the local branch of the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) to educate the people about the dangers of substance abuse.
Meanwhile, in Makassar, the local Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) raided boarding houses, cheap hotels and other establishments looking for people selling alcohol illegally and rooms being rented by unmarried couples.
The raids resulted in thousands of bottles of liquor being confiscated, and later destroyed at Makassar City Hall on Tuesday.
"We had to carry out this operation to create a conducive atmosphere ahead of Ramadan," said Moh. Ramdhan Pomanto, the mayor of the South Sulawesi capital. "Stalls, karaoke venues and other entertainment spots that sell liquor have to be disciplined."
A few unmarried couples found to be sharing a room were given "guidance," officials said.
A local member of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), which is known for its sometimes violent raids on establishments it considers in violation of the values the organization claims to represent, praised Makassar authorities for targeting the sale of alcohol.
"If the Satpol PP raid isn't sufficient, we'll carry out our own," the FPI member said.
Night clubs closed
Ramadan, the Islamic fasting month, starts on Thursday in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country. During this period, observant Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sexual intercourse from dawn until sunset.
The Jakarta government previously said it would force hundreds of night clubs and massage parlors to close during the Islamic holy month, although certain entertainment centers would be allowed to open at night.
The restrictions are set to go into force on Wednesday and will affect 371 entertainment businesses throughout the city.
"We will closely monitor the businesses from the provincial level all the way down to the urban wards," said Purba Hutapea, from Jakarta's tourism and culture promotion agency.
Ramadan has in the passed seen instances of hard-line Muslim groups like the FPI going through neighborhoods and forcibly closing night clubs and bars with threats of violence, often leading to vandalism and fights, but the Jakarta government says it will not tolerate such raids.
"No more raids with violence," Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat said last week. "This is the capital, a heterogeneous city. Leave it to the law enforcers."