JAKARTA, April 20, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Indonesia's local edition of Playboy magazine announced on Thursday, April 20, suspending operations after massive and sometimes violent protests in the world's most populous Muslim nation over its publication.

"For the time being, we are prioritizing security. We have vacated our office and we have halted our operational activities," said the magazine's chief editor Erwin Arnada, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).

He said 26 corporate advertisers involved in the first issue said they would not continue placing ads because of the protests.

Last week, Jakarta police chief Firman Gani urged authorities to interfere to putt off Playboy's second issue if publishers refuse to voluntarily do so.

The first edition of the watered-down Playboy Indonesia hit news stands on Friday, April 7, sparking violent protests nationwide.

Angry Indonesians have vandalized the magazine's Jakarta office and broke windows of the building.

Though vocalizing opposition to the debut of the magazine, the government has admitted that its legal hands remain tied.

Founded in 1953, Playboy has about 20 local editions around the world that cater to local taste rather than simply exporting and translating its US content.

Arnada was questioned by police to determine whether or not the magazine's first edition had violated laws and regulations.

He said that he had fielded 34 questions, mostly about technical aspects of publishing and printing the magazine.

Arnada said he was summoned in response to charges by Muslim groups that the magazine violated articles of the criminal code, which carry a maximum penalty of 16 months in jail.

The editor went to the police headquarters accompanied by lawyers and about 10 other members of the magazine's editorial department.

Police would also interview expert witnesses in the fields of crime, language and culture together with scholars, spokesman of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Chief Commissioner, I Ketut Untung Yoga Ana, said.

Some media distributors and newsstands were afraid to carry copies of the magazine.

The Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) has filed a complaint with the police accusing the magazine of promoting obscenity.

Indonesian Muslim scholars had warned that the publication of Playboy would corrupt a culture already inundated by Western influences.

Porn discs are readily, if discreetly, available across the capital Jakarta for as little as 6,000 rupiah ($60 cents).

In recent years, lifestyle magazines have flooded Indonesia's markets, including those targeting a male audience.

Many are franchises of foreign publications in the United States, Europe, Australia and more liberal Asian nations.