Monday July 20 1998 Indonesia
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE in Jakarta
A businessman is selling a modern version of the Victorian chastity belt - not to ease jealous husbands' fears, but to protect its wearer from rape.
Most of Simon Ayasanjaya's customers are Chinese, with sales soaring after May's riots.
"You want to be safe from assault?" asks a Jakarta newspaper advertisement. It then advises those fearing for their safety to buy a corset made of stainless steel and imitation leather, complete with combination lock.
Mr Ayasanjaya said he sold only a few hundred after he put them on the market last year, but "after the tragedy in May" sales shot up to about 5,000.
Mr Ayasanjaya said that unless the corsets fitted exactly, they were ineffective. "There are three sizes - small, medium and large. But I send them leaving the back unfinished, so that they can be readjusted."
He said another problem was high school girls forgetting the lock's combination.
Advertised as "easy to wash, wrinkle free, practical, comfortable and hygienic", the corsets have pink or white covers and come in various styles. The "diamond model" or the "hot model" increase the base price of 100,000 rupiah (HK$60) a corset.
Speaking from his shop in Bandung, Mr Ayasanjaya said he also sold body protectors that could stop a knife and a home "sleeping gas" system which would knock out burglars in 20 seconds.
There are three sizes - small, medium and large. But I send them leaving the back unfinished, so that they can be readjusted.
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