Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Communication and Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring said all porn sites accessible in Indonesia would be blocked during Ramadhan (Muslim fasting month).
"Hopefully the process will be finished before Ramadhan starts. The decision to block all porn sites during Ramadhan was taken to ensure that all Muslims will focus on their religious services," he said after attending a meeting at the Presidential Palace on Thursday.
Tifatul added the porn websites blocking was done in accordance with the Anti-Pornography Law and the government was obliged to carry it out appropriately.
However, the minister was yet to announce the number of websites to be blocked during Ramadhan. He only stated that the blocking would be executed massively.
According to the Indonesian law on pornography violators of its clauses may face jail sentences of six to 10 years.
Previously, the government had distributed software that can block porn sites among many Internet users. The facility can be directly downloaded through the communications and information ministry`s website www.depkominfo.go.id.
The policy was adopted due to the increasing use of computers at schools which can be abused as practical means to satisfy the curiosity of students for porn websites.
According to data from the Buah Hati Foundation, 67 percent of 2,818 elementary school students confessed they had accessed porn information at one time or another.
"If Internet users apply the porn site blocking software they will no longer be able to access or download pornographic contents," spokesman for the Ministry of Communication and Information, Freddy H Tulung, said.
He said the ministry had taken the initiative in an effort to reduce Internet users who access porn sites.
"If we block all porn sites in the Internet, it will disrupt Internet users because positive sites will also be affected," he said.
Freddy said based on data from various parties the Indonesian community tends to agree with closing the porn sites.
"Based on data from the Indonesian Commission of Child Protection (KPAI) in 2007, of 4,500 youths in 12 cities surveyed, 97 percent confessed they have ever accessed porn sites, 92.7 percent had oral sex, and 62.7 percent enjoyed sexual intercourse," he said.
The data is supported by data from the National Family Planning Coordinating Board in 2002 which showed that almost 40 percent of youths in the country confessed they at one time or another had pre-marital sex relations. (A051/HAJM/F003)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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