Indonesian Police Detain 51 Men in ‘Gay Spa’ Raid

Police in Jakarta have detained 51 men in a raid on what authorities described as a “gay spa.” Chinese nationals, a Singaporean, one Thai national, one Malaysian, and one Dutchman were among those detained, though Jakarta Police spokesman Argo Yuwono told Reuters on Saturday that the foreigners would not be charged. Some of the other men detained could face up to six years behind bars on pornography and prostitution charges, however. Yuwono gave scant details on what prompted the men’s detentions. “LGBT is clearly between men and men or same-sex relationships. Male prostitution,” he told Reuters when asked what the men’s crime was. While homosexuality is legal in most parts of Indonesia, activists have warned of police increasingly targeting men taking part in consensual gay sex in a bid to criminalize their actions.