SURAKARTA (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The mayor of the Indonesian city of Surakarta FX Hadi Rudyatmo has prohibited his guests from carrying bags into his office and his residence following a string of arrests made by the Corruption Eradication Commission of regional leaders on corruption charges.

"I have to be cautious," the mayor said, adding that he believed that some people might try to frame him by giving him money even though he never asked for it.

The recent arrest of Batu Mayor Eddy Rumpoko in East Java is a lesson that all regional leaders and their relatives should learn from, he said.

Eddy is accused of taking 200 million rupiah (S$20,144) in bribes from a businessman.

"The legal department is now drafting a circular on the bag ban that will apply in all administrative offices. This is to reduce the risk of being bribed."

The Surakarta administration office building provides a locker where people can keep their bags before entering the mayor's office.

"Now everyone who wants to meet the mayor must put their bags in the locker," Budiman Hendrato, a staff member at the office said.