Laser discs must be censored

JAKARTA (JP): The city information office announced yesterday that all laser discs in circulation in the city have to pass censorship from the Film Censorship Institution no later than April next year.

Semyon Sinulingga, head of the office, said yesterday that laser discs, which have not had censorship labels from the institution attached, are considered illegal.

"This is the implementation of Decree No. 215/1994 issued by the Ministry of Information last month," Semyon told reporters.

The issuance of the decree is intended to end the decade-old controversy over the legality of the circulation of laser discs in Indonesia.

He explained that there will be only two categories for censorship: fully accepted and rejected.

Laser discs were previously banned under the Ministry of Information Regulation No. 20/1983, which was issued following reports of illegal door-to-door distribution of smuggled laser discs. This regulation was not fully enforced, thereby enabling the open sale and distribution of discs.

Semyon said there have not been any discs registered or confiscated since the decree was issued on November.

Semyon said the government has also given authority to the association of video entertainment importers to coordinate the registration of discs.

The association is obliged to pay an administration fee of Rp 25,000 (US$11.42) for every disc checked by the institution while the owner has to pay only Rp 5,000 for the sticker. (yns)