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Jakarta eyes casinos amid objections from Muslims

JAKARTA, April 12 Kyodo

Jakarta authorities plan to build casinos on Seribu (Thousands) Islands north of Jakarta, despite objections from Muslim leaders, local newspapers reported Friday.

The English-language Jakarta Post and the leading vernacular Kompas daily quoted Jakarta Gov. Sutiyoso as saying his administration is ready to build the infrastructure for casinos on the islands.

He expressed confidence that the city's councilors would support the plan and that Muslim leaders would come round to it.

Earlier this week, however, Muslim leaders in the Indonesian Ulemas Council expressed opposition to opening casinos. Two Islamic-based parties, the Justice Party and the Crescent and Star Party, also rejected the idea.

But the plan is backed by the largest Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle, the former ruling Golkar party, the military and the police.

Gambling is basically illegal in the world's most populous Muslim country, and government permission is required.

Sutiyoso, however, said that gambling cannot be eradicated completely and therefore it would be better to open a legal gambling center.

He noted that neighboring Malaysia, which has a majority Muslim population, has allowed localized gambling after failing to eradicate it.

An unnamed foundation in Jakarta earlier submitted a proposal to open casinos on the islands to the islands' regent Abdul Kadir.

According to the proposal, gamblers would be required to deposit at least 10 million rupiah (about US$1,050) and apply for membership to avoid ''ordinary'' people entering the casinos.

Former popular Jakarta Gov. Ali Sadikin, who was in power from 1966 to 1977, legalized gambling and turned it into a major source of city revenue before the central government ordered the gambling sites closed in the early 1980s.

He said gambling could not be eradicated and that by legalizing it, the city could obtain tax revenues from gamblers. But his action led some Muslims to label him the ''gambling governor'' and ''immoral governor.''

Despite the central government ban, many gambling sites still exist in the capital.

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