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Hong Kong (dpa) - A magazine which published pictures of a female pop singer changing clothes backstage during a concert in Malaysia faces a fine of 400,000 Hong Kong dollars (51,280 US dollars) after a media watchdog ruled the pictures indecent, it was reported Saturday.
The publisher of Easyfinder Magazine could also be jailed for up to a year for allowing the lewd pictures of Gillian Chung, one half of the Cantopop duo Twins, to be published, the Standard reported.
The government's Obscene Articles Tribunal will send a letter to the magazine by next Thursday asking for its comments. If Easyfinder fails to respond the tribunal will issue a final notice and penalty.
The move against the magazine came after the television and entertainment licensing authority received more than 1,700 complaints about the pictures, a record for the media industry.
Women and civil rights groups have protested outside the magazine's offices, while also calling for a boycott of the magazine and changes to privacy laws.
Malaysian police are also reported to be investigating how the semi-nude pictures were taken in the changing room during a concert in mid-August at a resort in the Genting Highlands. Violators of Malaysia's privacy laws can be jailed for up to five years.
Management at Easyfinder Magazine has not responded to the controversy or apologised to Chung. Sales of the magazine surged by about 33 per cent and a second print run was made after the initial run had sold out.
Copyright 2006 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
