Jakarta – The government is set to create anti-pornography task forces at provincial and regency levels as an extension to the new anti-porn task force which was recently formed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"Of course, we will form [new task forces] in every province and regency," National anti-porn task force chairman Agung Laksono said on Tuesday.

Agung, who is also Coordinating People's Welfare Minister, said that the task forces at provincial and regency levels were needed as a follow-up to the establishment of the national task force.

He added that the national task force would report to the President, and the provincial and regency task forces would report to their respective leaders, be they governors or regents.

Agung added that he would leave the establishment of task forces in provinces and regencies to local leaders in accordance with the needs of their administrations. "Local task forces will report to those who form them," Agung said as quoted by tempo.co on Wednesday.

The Task Force for the Management and Prevention of Pornography, set up to implement the 2008 Pornography Law, was given authority to curb the distribution of pornography by presidential regulation as of March 2. Apart from Agung Laksono as the chairman, the President also appointed Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali to run the body on a daily basis.

Critics have claimed that the task force is a waste of resources and the publicity surrounding its establishment might be seen as a ploy to divert public attention from the government's planned fuel-price hike scheduled to come into effect on April 1. (dmr)