ABC News, Wed Apr 28, 2010 12:42am AEST
Police on the Indonesian resort island of Bali have detained 28 people in a crackdown on "beach gigolos", who scout for foreign female tourists, officials said.
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, says he finds 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 council area which includes Kuta beach, says that 28 people had been detained for not having proper identification or "for disturbing the peace or security of our beaches".
Mr Wijaya says the raids are part of routine checks and not linked to the documentary, but local media has reported that security officials were targetting tanned and muscular men.
"As has been reported, gigolos have indeed been rounded up," said Putu Suardika, a spokesman for the governor of Bali.
Virmani says he believes the beach gigolo phenomena was not unique to Bali, which is also known for its Hindu temples, volcanos, 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."
- Reuters
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