An Indonesian publisher said on Friday that he will press ahead with a local edition of Playboy despite opposition from Muslim leaders, but promised that the risqué magazine will not contain nudes.
Publisher Ponti Carollus, speaking after meeting with members of the Indonesian Press Council, said the Indonesian-language magazine will focus on articles rather than photographs.
”Definitely we will not be brave enough to take explicit pictures from [Playboy headquarters in] America,” he told reporters.
”We are not a porn magazine and we will not be featuring too many pictures … There will be pictures but, once again, they will not contain nudity,” he said.
Carollus said he will not risk losing his investment by running nude pictures and being shut down by authorities in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.
He also cited legislation on pornography that Parliament is expected to pass, which would see heavy jail terms meted out to individuals deemed ”pornographers”.
”One thing for sure, we do not want to go to jail. After investing so much money, we sure do not want to go to jail,” Carollus told reporters.
Muslim leaders have expressed horror over plans to publish Playboy here, warning of ”disastrous” consequences.
The first edition of the magazine is due to hit newsstands in March, making Indonesia only the second Asian nation after Japan to have its own edition of the magazine.
Magazines and tabloids depicting scantily dressed women are widely available in Indonesia, including the local editions of foreign titles such as British men’s magazine FHM. — Sapa-AFP