Indonesia crushes 18,000 bottles of bootleg alcohol in Ramadan display

Thousands of bottles of liquor were crushed by a steamroller in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Monday as police warned tipplers off booze during the sacred fasting month of Ramadan.

Nearly 90 percent of Indonesia's 260 million people are Muslims, whose religion requires them to abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex between sunrise and sunset during Ramadan.

Police laid out 18,000 bottles of bootleg alcohol collected in raids over the past few months in the capital Jakarta and then drove a steamroller over them in a messy annual display.

Read more: The West could benefit from the spirit of Ramadan. Here's how

Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan called on residents to avoid circulating illegal liquor.

"The job of the community is to reduce demand," he said at the booze-crushing event near the city's national monument.

"But no matter how much supply is reduced, it's tough if there is still demand."

Indonesian authorities typically make a show out of seizing and destroying large quantities of illegal alcohol to remind Muslims to abstain from boozing during Ramadan.

Islam forbids Muslims from consuming alcohol at any time of the year. But Indonesian Muslims observe their religion to varying degrees and alcohol is available at bars and nightclubs in major cities and holiday destinations such as Bali.

Many entertainment spots are closed during Ramadan, including in Jakarta.