Councilors seeking new controls on sale of porn

After seizing numerous pornographic comic books from bookstores yesterday afternoon, a group of PFP Taipei City councilors has vowed to pass a law to regulate the sale of pornographic publications.

Accompanied by representatives from Taipei City Police Headquarters and the city's Department of Information (新聞處), six PFP councilors conducted a random inspection of bookstores on Chung-ching South Road (重慶南路), famed for its concentration of bookstores. They say they found numerous pornographic publications that they believe should be sold separately from other books and only to adults over 18 years of age.

"More and more pornographic comic books are publicly circulating in Taipei and a lot of the content relates to sexual abuse, unusual sexual behavior and incest. These books are seriously damaging our children's minds," said PFP councilor Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊).

Cheng En-hsin (鄭恩心), an official from police headquarters, said that?police could currently seize only those books showing reproductive organs and the act of sexual intercourse. He said that seizing pornographic books has been very difficult, especially as there are no clear regulations defining pornographic content

In a joint press release, the PFP councilors stated that they would push for a city statute regulating the sale and lending of publications containing pictures of the human body.

Shen Yung-hwa (沈永華), an official from the city's Department of Information, welcomed the PFP's proposal, saying that department hoped the bill would be supported by councilors from all parties.

"There have been numerous complaints from parents, but there is just no regulation governing the circulation of pornographic books in Taipei," Shen said.