(AFP) The government may introduce stiffer penalties for those caught in possession of pornographic video compact discs (VCD), a report said today.

The home arrairs ministry has proposed raising the maximum jail term for offenders from six months to five years, The Star newspaper said.

It also proposed to increase the maximum fine five-fold to RM50,000 and set a minimum limit of RM10,000.

"We have to impose harsher punishment against those involved as the menace is at a serious stage. Pornography had been the cause of many sex crimes involving youngsters lately," Deputy Home Affairs Minister Chor Chee Heung was quoted as saying.

He said the government was also considering amending the Printing Presses and Publications Act to punish producers of pornography.

Sex crimes

The government has launched a major crackdown in recent weeks on pornography, blaming it for a rise in sex crimes.

In the latest incident last week, four eight-year-old boys were caught indulging in oral sex under the teacher's desk in a classroom after one of them watched a pornographic film with his parents.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has blamed sex acts in schools on religious teachers attaching more importance to politics than to moral guidance.