Indonesia ulama: Pokemon not good
JAKARTA: Avid players of smash-hit mobile phone game Pokemon GO in Indonesia are not letting religious decrees or security warnings get in the way of their mission to catch their next cartoon creature.
The Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI) had not made a formal statement on Pokemon GO, said senior official Amidhan Shaberah.
But he said the game carries “more harm than benefits” as it can make people “intoxicated“, at the cost of their work or studies.
Pokemon GO has not been officially launched in the country of 250 million people — an enthusiastic adopter of social media apps — but tens of thousands of Indonesians are getting it by using a proxy location on their smartphones that gives access to app stores of other countries.
“I will not stop playing unless the reason is realistic,” said Mohammad Resja Ilham, a 24-year-old radio host who catches Pokemons on his way to work and back home, and up to five hours on weekends.
Businesses are also cashing in. Telecommunication service provider PT XL Axiata Tbk is offering a 20 per cent discount for 4G data packages to “take advantage of the Pokemon GO trend”, said spokesman Turina Farouk
Last Saturday, Southeast Asian ride-hailing service Grab offered deals to Pokemon hunters.
“People are crazy about it now,” said Ridzki Kramadibrata, Indonesia managing director for Grab.
“I was there (the National Monument) myself and caught some Pokemons.”
In Tokyo, Japan isn’t taking any chances when it comes to the safety of impatient fans waiting the release of the game in the country where the cutesy monsters were born.
Tokyo has issued a nine-point safety guide warning of dangers gamers could face, including heat stroke, online scams and dubious strangers. Agencies