Indonesia's Dolly red light district in Surabaya city, East Java province, was permanently shut down on Wednesday night, closing the curtain on what is the nation's largest red light area.

Protests from pimps and sex workers as well as dependents did nothing to stay the closing of Dolly as Muslims rallied to have the area permanently shut down earlier Wednesday.

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"What needs to be maintained is something positive. If it is not positive, then there is no need to maintain it," Salim Segaf was quoted telling news sources.

The shutdown was praised by the minister who stated that the country has been hard at work for the last few years in order to deal with the issue.

Dolly is not only Indonesia's largest red light district, but also in the Southeast Asia region.

On Wednesday, locals also gathered to pledge to keep their area prostitution free and confirmed the declaration on paper with signatures.

The former red light workers who are now jobless due to the closure, will reportedly be sent back to their home towns at the expense of the government. Authorities such as the Social Ministry and Government of East Java province gave those affected by the decision a compensation of 1.5 billion Rupiah.

The red light area is said to be named 'Dolly' after a Dutch madam who, during the Netherland's colonial rule of the country, ran a brothel in that same place.

Prostitution rings are legal in Indonesia and are open in all the nation's major cities. However, with a large percentage of Indonesia's people being Muslim, some conservatives are looking to close down brothels and instill a stricter system ruled by Islamic Law.

According to reports, Surabaya is the "sex capital" of Indonesia, prompting officials such as the city's mayor to push to change this negative image.

TagsIndonesia, Surabaya, sex capital, shut down, red light district