X-rated Movies: Crackdown On Porn Peddlers

[george]

X-RATED MOVIES: Crackdown on porn peddlers

Culture Ministry blames hard-core films for rise in gang rapes by teenagers

BANGKOK: - The Culture Ministry yesterday vowed to crack down hard on X-rated film producers and stars, blaming the pornographic film industry for the rising number of teenagers committing gang rape.

The ministry plans to seize the assets of the makers of such films and charge them with criminal offences, while actors and actresses in the films will be given five-year bans from the entertainment industry if the ministry takes over the role of censorship from the Royal Thai Police.

"If we take charge we will seriously enforce legal action in a bid to remove pornographic material from the market," said Vice Minister for Culture, Veerasak Khowsurat.

"We will make arrests and punish the offenders," he added.

Veerasak said the Council of State would decide whether to give the Culture Ministry the job of overseeing censorship.

Particular attention will be paid to pornographic VCDs and DVDs if the ministry takes over censorship, he said, adding that pornographers faced a maximum Bt30,000 fine and three years in jail.

"We will also seize their pornographic material and production equipment - the assets of the producers," he said.

"The Culture Ministry must tackle the problem before morality [in our society] plunges further," he added.

Veerasak said actors and actresses appearing in pornographic films would also be targeted.

"They may be fined Bt500 for the first offence. But if the offence is repeated, they will be banned from show business for five years," he said, adding that the ministry would be acting within the boundaries of the law by doing so.

"Such a form of punishment is rarely used, even though it has been in place for more than 40 years," he said. Despite the planned crackdown, Veerasak admitted it would be very difficult to stop the production of pornographic VCDs and DVDs.

"We may have to consider restricting their sale, allowing only authorised shops to sell such material to customers aged over 18," he said.

--The Nation 2004-02-06