In the latest move to crack down on the illegal VCD trade, Malaysian police are now empowered to use a law allowing detention without trial against peddlers who threaten officers.
It was recently reported in the Malaysian press that Section 3(1) of the Emergency Ordinance, which allows for immediate detention of anyone who threatens any enforcement officer of the police, the local council or the domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry, would be invoked as a severe penalty and deterrent against illegal VCD peddlers who threaten officers with harm.
The latest in a series of measures to clamp down on video piracy is fuelled by the alarming scale of pornography available in the pirated VCD market. Between January and August this year, some 104,176 pornographic VCDs had been seized by police.
Acting Criminal Investigation Department director Deputy Commissioner Ramly Yussuf was reported as saying, "We are going all out to put an end to these illegal businesses - especially those involved in the production, distribution and supply of such VCDs." They are likely to meet stiff resistance from peddlers, who have devised novel schemes to avoid detection, such as replacing pirated discs with original ones once alerted by their informers of an impending raid.
The latest measure looks to add further muscle in the battle against VCD piracy in Malaysia.
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