Banks to act against payments for porn
Banks plan to reject payment service for pornographic-media purchases since the problem of obscene websites has significantly expanded around the world.
The Thai Bankers' Association (TBA) held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the problem. Bank of Thailand governor Tarisa Watanagase also joined in the discussion. At the meeting, Standard Chartered Bank (Thai) shared information about obscene materials in other countries. TBA chairman Apisak Tantivorawong said after the meeting that the banks had agreed to reject payment service for pornographic media which is done via bank accounts, including online purchasing. Currently, the problem mainly occurs at overseas banks via credit-card payment, while online pornographic media rank among key goods purchased. "Porn sites have been significantly expanding over the globe, and trading volume for this is amounts to several billion US dollars per year. Customers are mainly teenagers," he said. Banks can relieve the problem by blocking payment of online obscene media purchases. The TBA will set up a working group to monitor the problem and take action on it. Apisak said that in the past couple of years Thailand had shown zero per cent trading volume of online pornographic media compared with e-commerce in general websites, but this year the ratio had risen to around 4 per cent. The United States carries the world's highest trading volume via pornographic websites, 40 per cent of the total, while Russia is number two. Tarisa said that in 2001 obscene websites worldwide had numbered 100,000 and the number has doubled in 2003. In 2004 obscene websites grew by around 4 per cent compared with the previous year. "Obscene material is such a problem that all parties should take quick action," she said. The solution to pornographic media, however, depends on cooperation of police, service-providers and regulators, she said. Tarisa said the banking sector could reduce the problem by cutting off payment channels to online trading. There is a need to study change in the law and whether banks can do anything more, she said. Separately, TBA secretary-general Twatchai Yongkittikul said that as the problem of pornographic media might lead to other social problems banks should try to reduce the problem given that the banking sector was part of the trading process.
Somruedi Banchongduang
The Nation
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