Thailand plans no-go
zones for Pokemon Go
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[August 09, 2016]
By Manunphattr Dhanananphorn
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand will make
places such as the Royal Palace grounds, Buddhist temples and
hospitals off limits to players of Nintendo Co Ltd's wildly popular
augmented reality game Pokemon Go, the Thai telecoms regulator said
on Tuesday.
The measures come after the National Broadcasting and
Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) met with five telecoms operators
to discuss safety measures and the preservation of landmarks, Takorn
Tantasith, secretary general of the NBTC, told a news conference.
The five operators are Advanced Info Service Pcl, Total Access
Communication Pcl, True Corp and two state telecom firms, TOT Pcl
and CAT Telecom.
True, the master licensee to manage Pokemon's content in Thailand,
will ask Niantic Inc, the game's developer, to withdraw locations
including government buildings and private areas from the game,
Takorn said.
"We agree that we should withdraw some places that could be
dangerous such as roads, walkways, riverside and other important
places from the game," he said.
Pokemon Go, which marries a classic 20-year-old franchise with
augmented reality, has become an instant hit globally.
Using mobile devices, players search for virtual Pokemon characters
that appear to pop up at office spaces, restaurants, museums and
other places.
But the game has been blamed for a rash of car accidents and a slew
of mishaps stemming from distracted players.
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A man uses a mobile phone in front of an advertisement board bearing
the image of Pokemon Go at an electronic shop in Tokyo, Japan, July
27, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo - RTSLSVC
The regulator will also discuss the possibility of limiting playing time in
Thailand, Takorn said, adding that all operators will distribute manuals about
how to play online games safely, warnings and how to buy items in games.
Thailand is one of the fastest growing mobile game markets in Southeast Asia
thanks to the rising popularity of smartphones and the recent launch of high
speed 4G mobile services.
(Reporting by Manunphattr Dhanananphorn; Writing by Khettiya Jittapong; Editing
by Louise Heavens)
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