Bangkok- The Bangkok International Book Fair cracked down on Japanese comics on sale at the annual event after Thailand's minister of social development revealed the pornographic content of the popular genre, media reports said on Friday. Paiboon Wattanasiritham, deputy premier and minister of social development and human security, was not amused when he visited a booth at the fair specializing in second-hand Japanese comics, translated into Thai, many of which featured pornographic content.
The booth owner, the Rung Wattana Panich company, was ordered to remove the offending material immediately.
Organizers of the fair, an annual event launched three decades ago to promote reading among Thai youths, were shocked by the discovery and claimed they had made clear that no pornography was allowed at the event.
Japanese comics, called "Manga," notorious for their explicit sex scenes, are by far the most-popular genre among Thai teenagers, and have a large Thai adult following as well.
