New Old Novacaine News.
You may have heard that I've recently been to JB and got caught at the customs trying to pry away with 40 over CDs, DVDs and PS2 pirated games right? Well, the drama has since been subdued. We got back everything that was confiscated. Every single disc, from the MDA.Before I go on any further to instill some necessary knowledge for all you aspiring potential smugglers, let me list down the number of pirated discs me and my bro, Perry tried to smuggle into our homeland.
PS2 game: 24
DVD movie: 10
DVD concert: 5
PC game: 4
Software: 3
Mp3 CD: 4
Total count: 50
Now, that's alot! But no porno, nothing obscene.
Exactly a week after the drama happened at the customs, we got back all of the items. According to the government standing media law order, it is understood that: (information derived from mda.gov.sg)
Videos sold outside Singapore are considered to be uncensored when brought into Singapore. The MDA works closely with the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority to check on travellers who bring in uncensored and obscene videos at the checkpoints. At the same time, the MDA takes a balanced approach when travellers bring in items bought outside Singapore for personal consumption. These items include VCDs and DVDs.
Some of the VCD/DVDs brought in may be from the exempted categories which do not require classification. All videos brought into Singapore should be declared and submitted to the Board of Film Censors (part of the MDA) for classification. The Board classifies videos under the Films Act based on the content and does not determine their origin, i.e. whether the videos are pirated. Pirated videos are illegal under the Copyright Act.
An individual who submits his videos for classification by the Board has to pay S$1.80 for each video. The videos may be brought to and collected from the Board's office at URAC Centre (7th Floor, East Wing) at Maxwell Road. Certification may be done on the spot if the title of the film is already in the Board's database. Otherwise, the time taken for classifying the submitted videos is a function of the recording duration and the number of videos submitted.
That's what the MDA laid to all aspiring people like us who're thinking of smuggling back. But rules are meant to be broken eh? They'd juz close one eye on minors like us. All I can say is don't ever bring in obscene materials and keep check on how many you're gonna bring in. 5 is the maximum - that's what I 'overheard'.
To summerize, I'd rather pay $3.50. My splurge on these will still carry on.
Getting back all my discs was probably the happiest day so far in 2006. Haha.
posted by jeremyz @ 12:00 PM
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