Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia has authorised police officers to carry out random checks and detain people with pornographic images found on their cellphones, a news report said on Monday.
Cellphone shop operators who provide downloading services for porn could also be charged for its possession, which is illegal in this Southeast Asian country, the New Straits Times newspaper reported.
The offence carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison.
Deputy Internal Security Minister Noh Omar said the decision was in response to an earlier news report in the Malay-language tabloid Harian Metro that teenagers were recording images of mass sex parties and distributing them using their video-enabled cellphones.
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The report did not provide further details. Noh's office was not reachable for comment.
Although pornography is illegal in this mostly Muslim country, enforcement has mostly been weak.
The government began taking a tougher stance recently, blaming rising crime and moral problems among youths - such as rape and teen pregnancies - on unfettered access to pornography, especially on the Internet.
A salesman allegedly found with a laptop computer containing a downloaded pornographic movie was charged in May.
Recently, the country's largest telecommunications company, Telekom Malaysia, began airing television advertisements featuring Web filters and software to help parents block access to websites considered unsuitable. - Sapa-AP
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