Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – The official website of the Communications and Information Ministry was hacked for several hours Thursday, apparently in reaction to the new online pornography law.

Early in the morning, the website was filled with a picture of a man whose bare chest read "March 26, 2008. Congratulations to the government... suit.. suit.

"We congratulate you on the passing of the law on information and electronic transaction and pornography. We would like to express our full support to the government. Prove this law is made not to cover up the government's stupidity. Cihuyyyyyyyyy."

Later, www.depkominfo.go.id could not be accessed, and would-be viewers were met only with the message, "Access has been denied".

The House of Representatives passed Tuesday a bill threatening to jail users and providers of pornographic websites. They will face a maximum of three years in prison or a fine of up to Rp 1 billion (US$107 million).

In pursuance of the law, the government announced it would shut down all porn sites.

The ministry of information and communication has offered the public software to block websites with adult content, available for download at the ministry's website. The ministry plans to begin blocking all adult sites starting April 1.

Telecommunication and cyber expert Roy Suryo, who played a key role in drafting the law, said the attack on the ministry's website was revenge from a porn-lover site.

"I predicted such a move from people opposing the law and the government's move to block the websites with adult content. That's why we need public participation to make the action a success," he told The Jakarta Post.

Roy warned the attack was only the first in a series of similar actions against other ministry websites or even more important ones, such as the official sites of the president and the vice president.

He said not only porn-lover sites but also many other people would try to hack the government's websites because those planning to use their blogs or websites to spread political agitation or misleading data could be affected by the law.

"That's why I urge police to investigate the case thoroughly to find the hackers. The police can apply the law... so they can deal a heavy punishment," he said.

Success in solving the case, Roy said, would send a warning for others planning to hack government websites.