News

Thursday July 15, 2010


Indonesia Gvmt Vows to Block All Porn in 2 Months

By Patrick B. Craine

JAKARTA, Indonesia, July 15, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Indonesian government has pledged to have all porn websites blocked in the country within the next two months as it works to implement the country’s strict anti-pornography laws.

“We should not wait for too long to close down these sites because otherwise more will people copy and disseminate this material,” said Tifatul Sembiring, the Minister for Communication and Information Technology, on Wednesday, according to the Jakarta Globe.

Tifatul noted that pornography was already prohibited by law, pointing to the 2008 Anti-Pornography Law, which was upheld recently by the country’s Constitutional Court. That law declares, in part, “that the state should protect its citizens from the dangers of pornography.”

“So if God is willing, we will fulfill our obligations, otherwise the continued presence of this material will violate our law,” he said.

Tifatul explained that the government’s move comes in response to a request from the Indonesian Commission to Protect Children, and Islamic groups.

He says the government will shut down objectionable domestic sites and ask the country’s 180 internet service providers to block international porn sites. A spokesman for the ministry told Canada’s Globe and Mail that the government has not decided yet whether they will impose sanctions on ISPs that do not comply.