Indonesia bans YouTube, MySpace

Jakarta - Indonesia`s Information Minister Mohammad Nuh has ordered internet providers to ban access to popular sites like YouTube and MySpace.

The ban aims to prevent Indonesians from accessing a Dutch anti-Islam film.

A signed letter from the minister says: "[The] broadcast of the Fitna movie through the internet by the Dutch politician Geert Wilders might cause disturbance in relations between religions and civilisations around the world."

"We ask you to immediately use all effort to block all sites and blogs which post the Fitna movie," it added.

The letter was copied to Indonesia`s Police Chief.

Fearing a visit from the police, Indonesia`s Internet Providers Association has instructed its members to pull the plug on at least five sites including YouTube and MySpace.

A new internet law passed last month carries a maximum penalty of six years jail for online slander or creating conflict between groups.

The film by Wilders, leader of the Dutch anti-immigration Freedom Party, alternates images of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and other Islamist bombings with quotations from the Koran.

It also shows an image of the Prophet Mohammad primed to explode and says the rising number of Muslims in Europe threatens democratic values.

The Dutch Government has distanced itself from Wilders`s film, and the Dutch Upper House of Parliament has condemned what it called efforts to denigrate Islam and promote hatred.

Source: www.abc.net.au

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