The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and Information and Communication Technology Ministry (ICT) were instructed to work out regulations to prevent possible accidents, “probably by fixing playing zones”, Xinhua news agency reported.
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The plans are now under review after the proposal was made last week. Visitors will still be able to use their own SIM cards and roaming data, with no government location tracking, while on holiday. There would be no distinction between foreigners traveling as tourists and long-term resident aliens holding visas for education, employment or marriage.
Thailand announced plans Tuesday that would require foreigners visiting the popular Southeast Asian country to have location-tracking SIM cards in their phones so authorities can easily monitor their whereabouts.
“We agree that we should withdraw some places that could be unsafe such as roads, walkways, riverside and other important places from the game”, Takorn Tantasith, secretary general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC), said.
Chansri confirmed that foreigners working in Thailand would not be required to use the special SIM cards, however, some local media reports have quoted him as saying that they would be required to. “And it can not be turned off”.
This move is being touted as a national security measure and an innovation that would help tackle trans-border crime, rather than a violation of personal privacy.
The tracker SIMs will not be mandatory for foreigners.
“We would just facilitate the police”.
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. Further, he said, any abuse of the system would be punished.
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In addition, authorities would need a court order to track a specific phone.
