Indonesia plans to restrict access to pornographic and violent sites on the Internet after the country's parliament passed a new information bill, officials said on Tuesday.

The Southeast Asian country has had a vigorous debate over pornography in recent years, exposing deep divisions in the Muslim-majority nation.

"I think we all agree there's no way we can save this nation by spreading pornography, violence and ethnic hostility," Information Minister Mohammad Nuh told reporters.

Nuh said that members of the public had asked the government to block sites with violent and pornographic content, concerned about their negative impact as more Indonesians gain access to the Internet.

Software for blocking sites would be made available for downloading on the ministry's website (www.depkominfo.go.id), he said, adding that it was also looking at the possibility of direct blocking.