Indonesians arrested in Philippines for piracy

Indonesians arrested in Philippines for piracy

Police seized close to 1 billion pesos (US$20 million) worth of pirated CDs and copying equipment and arrested seven Indonesian and five Chinese workers in a raid in the northern Philippines, officials said Tuesday.

The raid late Monday on a clandestine factory in Meycauyan, Bulacan province, is the latest step in a high-profile campaign by authorities against music and movie piracy.

No further details about the raid or the arrests were released.

Last month, officials used steamrollers to crush 2 million pirated CDs, DVDs and cassettes seized from sidewalk stalls and shops to show the Philippine government's efforts to stem the illegal industry.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who has made fighting crime a top priority of her administration, visited the clandestine factory and congratulated the police.

She said the raid "is not only a great help to the members of the entertainment industry who are being cheated but also our reputation in the world" as a major violator of intellectual property rights.

The Philippines has been identified as a major center of film and music piracy by the Washington D.C.-based International Intellectual Property Alliance.

Industry players are campaigning to increase punishments for piracy crime. Current laws punish convicted pirates with a fine of 10,000 pesos ($200) and a maximum one-year prison term. --AP