I REFER to your correspondent Tommy Ho's letter headlined, ''Ban kids' pornographic comics'' (South China Morning Post, November 16).
Legislation already exists to control the publication and display of pornographic books. This is the Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance, under which obscene articles are completely banned while indecent ones must not be sold to persons under 18.
The Government is aware of the problem of newspaper vendors selling indecent books to children. In the last couple of months, the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority has issued circular letters to newspaper vendors reminding them that such acts constitute an offence. The police and TELA have also been stepping up actions to bring offenders to court. If convicted, the maximum penalty is a fine of $200,000 and imprisonment for 12 months.
I am grateful to and share the views of Mr Ho that apart from the actions by the Government, parental guidance and control on their children's reading materials are vital.
NG HON-WAH for Commissioner for Television and Entertainment Licensing