PENANG, MALAYSIA Schoolchildren are being allowed into local cybercafes to view pornographic anime and play sex-based computer games such as Nasty Anime Game and The Sexy Empire, according to the Consumers Association of Penang.

Its president S.M. Mohamed Idris said a parent handed them 11 CD-ROM games depicting naked women in various poses after catching his son playing such a game at a cybercafe.

"The parent conducted her own investigations and found that the games could easily be bought for only RM5 each from shops in shopping malls on the island.

"We also conducted random checks on about 15 cycbercafes two days ago and found that these children, aged between 13 and 15, were being allowed into the premises without any adult supervision.

"A few of these children who were questioned, admitted to visiting cybercafes to play the sex-based computer games and also to watch hentai which is pornographic Japanese anime," he said Friday.

Mohamed Idris said they also visited pornographic websites on the cybercafes' computers, which did not have filtering programmes. The cybercafes charged between RM3 and RM7 for an hour's use of their computers.

"We also found these schoolchildren openly smoking and drinking beer which were sold in these premises.

"The Education Ministry and local government authorities should act immediately to halt such unhealthy activities," he said.

Copies of the pornographic computer games were later handed over to George Town OCPD Asst Comm Azam Abd Hamid at his office in Patani Road.

ACP Azam said the police were aware of the problem and had raided several cybercafes, which were popular haunts for teenagers.

"A few operators were arrested. Students caught playing truant were handed over to their parents."