INDONESIA: Glodok raid fails to take steam out of porn sales

Porn sales skyrocket, though DVD vendors are afraid of future raids

Jakarta Post
Wednesday, April 19, 2006

While members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) take on the publishers of Playboy Indonesia, the police and hard-core porn DVD and VCD vendors are playing "Tom and Jerry".

After a raid last week, during which the West Jakarta Police confiscated more than a million pornographic DVDs and VCDs worth Rp 1.5 billion (US$166,666), explicit films of sex acts continue to entice buyers to retail center Glodok.

"What are you looking for? Take a look at our collection," a seller under the bridge linking Glodok's two buildings asked a passerby as he grabbed him by the shirt.

Some passersby stopped to browse, others bluntly refused. Interested buyers, naturally, took their time selecting titles that took their fancy.

A vendor told The Jakarta Post that, after the raid, he was afraid to sell before midnight.

"We now open after 12 to avoid police raids," said the vendor, whose friend was among the six arrested by police during the weekend's raid.

Despite some worries there will be more raids, hard-core porn DVDs are selling like hot cakes. The average price of the porn selling at Glodok has even gone up, from Rp 4,000 to Rp 8,000.

"I'll give you two for Rp 15,000 or three for Rp 20,000," a pornographic DVD vendor told a buyer.

However, porn DVDs were hidden away at the market Tuesday, where it is usually on display.

DVD sellers said they were afraid of raids.

"We don't sell that stuff here anymore," said Dedi, who has been in the business for more than five years.

"I used to sell those sorts of films, but not since the raid," he told the Post before offering pirated cartoon movie Ice Age 2.

He said he had stopped selling porn movies last month. However, "I have some if you want it -- old stock," he eventually mumbled.

Dedi said DVD vendors who had no kiosks were able to sell pornographic DVDs as most of them were seasonal traders.

"They sell DVDs with seductive covers but the content is kasidahan (Indonesian-Muslim traditional music usually sung by women)," he said.

He said that could be the reason why the raid was launched, because many buyers felt cheated.

Meanwhile, West Jakarta Police chief Edward Syah Pernong said police would fight against the distribution of porn movies as it had caused apprehension among residents.

"Over the past three months, the number of sex crimes has increased significantly," he said.

Police are of the belief the criminals watched porn movies before committing their crimes.

From January to March, 19 sex crimes were reported to West Jakarta Police. Last year, a total of 44 cases were reported to the police precinct.

Date Posted: 4/19/2006

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