West Java bans some pop songs by Sheeran, Mars and others
JAKARTA: Indonesia's most populous province has set restrictions on when certain English-language songs can be aired on television and radio, citing concerns over "vulgar" and "negative" lyrics.
The West Java provincial broadcast commission identified 85 songs labelled "adult" that can be aired only between 10pm and 3am.
These include Ed Sheeran's Shape of You, Bruno Mars' That's What I Like and Ariana Grande's Love Me Harder.
The world's biggest Muslim-majority country has seen a rise in restrictions on content or behaviour deemed pornographic, sometimes through local by-laws based on syariah in the officially secular country.
"Broadcast programmes are prohibited from containing songs and or video clips that display or contain obscenities, sex... and drugs," Ms Neneng Athiatul Faiziyah, a member of the commission, said yesterday.
She said the action followed complaints from the public and added that there were similar objections over thousands of songs.
She said the broadcast commission was also drawing up a list of Indonesian language songs considered "adult".
At the national level, Indonesia already has strict anti-pornography laws.
Indonesia's Parliament last month dropped a draft music Bill after protests by artists and rights activists who were concerned that it could restrict freedom of expression.- REUTERS
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