Six detained over illegal decoders

Six individuals including four foreigners were detained for using unlicensed satellite television services in two raids in Seremban and Kuala Lumpur today.

In the operation headed by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission, 124 decoder sets valued at RM120,000 were also seized.

Police and officers from the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism (KPDNKK) were also involved in the raids.

Investigation revealed that the company has been in operation for the last three years and has more than 1,000 customers.

With the initial payment of RM900, the users only have to pay a monthly fee of between RM20 and RM50, depending on the package they want.

According to MCMC Network Safety, Enforcement and Advocacy officer Zulkarnain Mohd Yasin, the service is illegal as its contents are not censored.

“One of the aspects that most people might not know is that other providers like Astro and TV3 are subjected to film censorship, so there are possibilities that some films are not allowed to be aired as it is not good for the society,” he told reporters at the MCMC office today.

The unlicensed service allows its users throughout the nation to enjoy paid television channels from India, Videocon which has over 100 channels especially film and Bollywood programme.

“They have in service for three years and they attract customers online, Facebook and word of mouth,” he added.

Those detained can be fined not more than RM100,000 or jailed not more than two years or both.