Arrest 141 at gay sauna party

[reader]

Photo from NY Times

 

From CNN

 

(CNN)A raid by police on a gym and sauna in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Sunday evening is being seen by some as the latest evidence of a crackdown on the rights of the country's LGBT population.

 

Police detained 141 men as part of the raid on the establishment in North Jakarta, said Polda Metro Jaya Kombes Argo Yuwono, the head of public relations for the Jakarta Police Department.

 

Ten people have been charged with violating Indonesia's pornography laws, with police pointing to evidence including condoms, CCTV recordings and mattresses. The rest remain detained and are under investigation, though not officially charged, Argo said.

 

The sauna was allegedly holding a sex party, promoted as "The Wild One," for which guests were charged 185,000 Indonesian rupees (US$14) to attend, Argo said.

 

"We are still ... examining the perpetrators one by one, this takes time," Argo told CNN Indonesia Monday.

 

The raid is just the latest in a series of anti-LGBT actions by Indonesian authorities, which Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono told CNN was having a chilling effect on the community.

 

Article continues with video

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/22/asia/jakarta-sex-party-lgbt/

[spoon]

At firsti wonder why there is no forum for gay indonesia here. No i wonder no more. A lot of pics of the arrests being circulated in the internet, some of them clearly show the face pictures of the arrested few. One in particular is really cute and handsome hunk that i can drool upon forever. So sad that he might be charged under their anti pornographic law.

[TotallyOz]

And, Indonesia is considering making homosexuality illegal.  IMHO, as a gay community, we have a few steps forward and then a few steps back. Sad.

[spoon]

To be fair, the anti pornographic law also applied to the non gay acts of lewd. If i recall, few years back, a viral video of 2 indonesian artists having sex leads to the arrests of both artists and they both served jail time, cant recall how long but they have been released since. Maybe 2 years or so.

[reader]

The following article from the UK's Telegraph drove home, for me at least, the message that although the incident took place in Indonesia, it's truly an attack our sense of freedom.  Like many here I've visited saunas in KL and other southeast Asian cities besides Bangkok.  I never actually worried about getting caught up in a raid.  But there's at least one westerner (according to the story) who was caught up in this one.

 

We frequently lament how much things have changed since our first trip. But I've never approached my arrivals into Don Mueang or Swampy with anything other than great anticipation. Soi Twilight may be less of a draw and Sunee Plaza may pale in comparison to what it once was, but I'll take Thailand any day and twice on Sundays.

 

From the Telegraph

 

A British national is among 141 men detained by Indonesian police in a raid on a gay sauna in the capital, Jakarta. The men were detained for questioning after police raided what they claimed was a gay sex party promoted as “The Wild One” on Sunday night.

 

Rights activists say it is the latest sign of growing hostility towards homosexuality in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.

Lawyers now claim they have been denied access to the men, leading to fears that the police will try to force confessions to be later used against them.

 

Teams of lawyers had descended on the North Jakarta police precinct where the men are being held to offer legal assistance, but to no avail, Ricky Gunawan from the Community Legal Aid Institute told The Telegraph.

 

“It’s been quite difficult to get access in terms of information as well as to get their permission to sign power of attorney…to ensure that their rights are respected in this legal process,” he said.

 

Mr Gunawan claimed this was a common tactic used by Indonesian police immediately after arrest. “Usually this is the time where the people arrested will confess and then the police will use their confessions because there is no lawyer present,” he said.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/22/indonesia-police-arrests-dozens-raid-jakarta-gay-sauna/

[worldatlarge]

Maybe a sixth sense made me not go to the sauna last December when in Jakarta but it was really lack of time.

On the other hand, Indonesia has Bali which can still show homosexuality brings advantages like the pink tourist dollars.

 

This is why, as we are getting into the season of the remembrances of the fights for our rights, Stonewall being its inception, that Pride festivals are still important and necessary. Hopefully, while the raid in Jakarta is not acceptable, it can spark the same in Indonesia. All Prides this year should mention of this event in their programs.

[vinapu]

election of Jokowi to the post of presidency was met with big hopes but it seems that  it did not help cause of freedoms , first jailing Ahok for alleged blasphemy, not that any blasphemy should be punishable, now sweep at gays , who will be next? perhaps anybody

[worldatlarge]

Gay Travel Asia say it is the Atlantis sauna that was raided;

https://www.travelgayasia.com/jakarta-gay-saunas/

 

Having been at the Millenium Sirih hotel, the other gym/sauna mentionned in that webpage is well equiped and the pool is nice. I can't say if the sauna is good or if there is some "action" going on as I did not go in but considering it is a busy "regular" hotel I doubt there is much going on

[Moses]

One more police raid yesterday evening in Surabaya.

 

As per some insiders: both raids are political motivated - in both cases owners were Chinese. Sources told what both raids are the part of right-wing party's politic actions: to implement idea "Chinese corrupt the nation" and to increase nationalism. Target of campaign is to increase anti-Chinese feelings.

[dozzie]

read some of the articles and it's saddening how the police (re)actions and general sentiments are degrading and discriminating.

[reader]

From Coconuts - Jakarta

 

While last year’s LGBT panic in Indonesia has largely died down, LGBT individuals still face serious discrimination here in all facets of their lives. The most recent example of institutionalized homophobia in Indonesia comes from a university that has made it their official policy to refuse any and all LGBT students.

 

Last week, Universitas Andalas (Unand) in Padang, West Sumatra, stirred controversy after several people noticed that the Unand website told applicants to the school that they had to sign a letter declaring that they were not a part of the LGBT community. The requirement soon went viral, after which Unand took it down from their website.

 

But it appears that they didn’t remove the no-LGBT requirement out of shame. Asked by the media, Unand’s chancellor Tafdil Husni made it very clear that his university has an official policy of discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation.

 

https://coconuts.co/jakarta/lifestyle/indonesian-university-refuses-accept-lgbt-students-citing-protection-rights/

[spoon]

Though i cant be too mad at Indonesian gov because now their hot gay/moneyboy travel to my country to work here instead more for me lol

[sglad]

 One in particular is really cute and handsome hunk that i can drool upon forever. So sad that he might be charged under their anti pornographic law.

 

Can PM pls?  Err...so that I can feel sad for him and the others too.

[t0oL1]

http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic/11075-2-men-caned-in-indonesia/

[Alexx]

Though i cant be too mad at Indonesian gov because now their hot gay/moneyboy travel to my country to work here instead more for me lol

While that sounds somewhat selfish, I think you do have a point. It's likely that an increasing number of gays from Indonesia will try to get out, one way or another.

[a447a]

Gay sex in a Muslim country is always risky. You never know when the religious nutters are going to turn up.

 

I've been to Otot-otot sauna in KL and although I wasn't paranoid, the thought of the police turning up was at the back of my mind.

 

When I was there a couple of years ago I heard that there was a new law which said saunas had to have bright lighting. At Otot-otot a guy told me the sauna had some kind of "arrangement" with the sauna, which permitted the dark areas.

 

I think the wahabi influence is leading to a more conservative attitude from the locals in Indonesia.

[spoon]

Yup, non of the gay establishment are legal here in malaysia. Even if they have licenses, its usually for something else, like foot massage license, spa licenses for facial but they provide all the other services illegally. No doubt there might be under the table arrangement happening. Bukit bintang area is somehow seen by locals as untouchable by the police, thus explains the bloom of massage places with a lot of massuers outside similar way u see in thailand. Other places offer only normal massage menu and all other special is between u and the masseur in the room. Gay sauna and massage places are usually hard to locate, and entrance are locked with security camera outside so they can see who is knocking.

[Alexx]

If they have a license for facials, maybe that's what they should offer.