"We have banned the game in the presidential palace since it is an office, that, too, of the President. We come here to work, not play," the Chief of Press and Information Division for the Presidential Palace, Bey Machmudin, said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Officials in certain state institutions have banned their personnel and staff from playing the "Pokemon Go" game within their respective office premises.

"We have banned the game in the presidential palace since it is an office, that, too, of the President. We come here to work, not play," the Chief of Press and Information Division for the Presidential Palace, Bey Machmudin, said here on Wednesday.

Machmudin has also disallowed the press personnel from indulging in this activity anywhere within the presidential palace.

He added that the staff of the Presidential Palace and the media personnel who come to perform their official duties or report news should do exactly that, rather than playing Pokemon Go.

Everyone entering the Presidential Palace area in Jakarta is given instructions in this regard.

The game needs the player to be actively mobile in particular spots in the area to acquire characters.

Pokemon Go adapts itself to a free-to-play location-based augmented reality mobile game.

Machmudin cautioned that the movement of the player can raise the suspicions of the security officers and the Presidential Security Guards.

The security officer in the Presidential Palace has put in place warning signs in several areas advising people not to play this game there.

Distraction during duty

Additionally, the Indonesian Police Chief, General Tito Karnavian, has also ordered all personnel not to play Pokemon Go during duty hours.

"We are afraid that it can distract personnel from their assigned duties," the Head of Public Relation Division of the Indonesian Police, Inspector General Boy Rafli Amar, pointed out.

Tito has issued orders dated 19 July, 2016, banning all police officers from playing this game lest it leads to a negative impact.

The General, Amar noted, was worried that the game can lessen the level of alertness of the police personnel and someone can record some confidential areas within the police institutional areas.

"The game can record areas and we are worried that the data can be misused by irresponsible people," Amar stated.

The institution has also banned all visitors from launching the game in internal areas.

Pokemon Go is a game application launched from Android smart phone which needs the player to move around in particular areas to acquire character and launch a competition.

The game adapts a free-to-play location-based augmented reality system whih acts as the background, mirroring the real conditions.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016