A Sri Lankan court has ordered a dozen websites to be blocked for allegedly containing pornographic material involving local women.
The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) was asked to block access to the 12 websites, including
redtube.com, an adult-content sharing portal, the Lankadeepa newspaper said.
There was no immediate comment from the TRC, which a year ago announced it was filtering websites showing obscene, pornographic and other sexually explicit material.
Colombo Chief Magistrate Nishantha Hapuarachchi said the censorship order was issued following a police complaint that some videos contained Sri Lankan women and children and that the free access to the sites corrupted society.
The websites'
owners have 14 days to respond and if they do not, the TRC has been asked to continue blocking those sites, the magistrate was quoted as saying.
Sri Lanka already maintains an unofficial ban on websites of dissidents by getting local Internet
Service Providers to block access to those portals. Update: Wider Ban on Porn 31st July 2009. From
humanevents.com The Government is to propose tough new laws to curb adult movies, advertisements, publications containing obscene materials appearing in various forms in
Sri Lanka.
Cultural Affairs and National Heritage Minister Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene at a press briefing in Sigiriya yesterday said that a decision had been taken after considering the harmful impact of such materials to society at large and its
contribution towards the erosion of the social values in Sri Lanka.
In this regard, wider power would be relegated to the existing Censor Board to enact these proposed measures. Mobile service providers would also be advised to refrain from
airing such materials.
The Minister also noted that the proposals in this regard would be submitted to the Cabinet shortly. Update: Local Porn 12th August
2009. From business.avn.com Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigation Department is investigating porn content created within the country, according to the Colombo Chief Magistrate.
The CID claims links between porn websites and locally produced material, reports the area's regional Daily Mirror. Update: Demarcation Dispute 17th August
2009. From dailymirror.lk Cabinet Spokesman and Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa yesterday said he was disappointed and displeased at the Cabinet Cultural Affairs
Minister Piyasiri Wijenayaka had trespassed the purview of his cabinet portfolio in undertaking to control the telecast of films, Tele Dramas and Commercials.
He may be unaware of what he is doing. But it is unethical and against the
collective responsibility of Ministers when he said he was to introduce legislation to control 'Adults Only' telecasts, Minister Anura Priyadharshana said.
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