The Jakarta Post, 10/25/2004 3:02:27 PM
FPI plans more nightclub raids
JAKARTA (Reuters): A militant Indonesian Muslim group plans more raids on clubs
selling alcohol this week after trashing a nightspot frequented by foreigners over the
weekend, a spokesman for the organisation said on Monday.
No foreigners were inside the club in south Jakarta when a mob attacked it on Friday
night after it had closed. Doors and windows were broken.
Allawi Usman of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) said some nightspots were
violating government regulations on operating during the holy Muslim fasting month of
Ramadan.
The protesters have demanded bars stop serving alcohol during Ramadan, which
began in mid-October and runs for one month.
"The authorities have turned a blind eye, so we need to act," said Usman.
The U.S. embassy in Jakarta has warned Americans in the world's most populous
Muslim nation to take precautions against attacks on nightspots during Ramadan.
Usman said about 400 members would conduct a "sweep" of cafes and restaurants in
East Jakarta on Tuesday, followed by West and Central Jakarta in the weeks ahead.
Authorities in Jakarta have allowed some nightspots to open during Ramadan but
limited their business hours.
Jakarta police have promised legal action against the mobs, although no arrests have
been reported. (*)
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