Laser discs must be censored

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)