Reuters - Wednesday, April 28
JAKARTA - Police on Indonesia's resort island of Bali detained
28 people this week in a crackdown on "beach gigolos," who scout
for foreign female tourists, officials said on Tuesday.
The raids began on Monday after the release of a trailer for a
documentary on Bali's 'Kuta cowboys', the muscular and tanned Kuta
beach surfers who develop short-term romantic relationships with
foreign women in return for gifts.
'Cowboys in Paradise' follows the trials and tribulations of
several beach boys, their families and their female patrons.
The documentary's Singapore-based director, Amit Virmani, said
he found the arrests deplorable.
"A witch hunt for men with tanned and muscular bodies on the
beach is the last thing anybody wants," he said.
"The film is about one small aspect of life in a holiday
destination. It does not suggest that the cowboys are all that Bali
has to offer."
Gede Wijaya, a spokesman for the local council area which
includes Kuta beach, said that 28 people had been detained for not
having proper identification or "for disturbing the peace or
security of our beaches."
Wijaya said the raids were part of routine checks and not linked
to the documentary, but local media reported that security
officials were targeting tanned and muscular men.
"As has been reported, gigolos have indeed been rounded up,"
Putu Suardika, a spokesman for the governor of Bali, said in a
telephone text message to Reuters. Virmani said he believed the
beach gigolo phenomena was not unique to Bali, which is also known
for its Hindu temples, volcanoes, and terraced rice fields.
"Moreover, the cowboys do not pose a threat to tourists. What
happens between consenting adults is their own business," he
said.
"I am genuinely worried for the safety of the people in the film
and the boys on the beach."