Thailand: Censors ban 'Tropico 5' city-building game over security concerns

The film and video censorship office blocked sales of Tropico 5 because they feared 'some part of its content might affect peace and order in the country,' the New Era Thailand marketing manager said.

Censors under Thailand’s military junta have banned a city-building simulation computer game, saying it could hurt the country’s security, a video game distributor said Monday.

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The film and video censorship office blocked sales of Tropico 5 because they feared “some part of its content might affect peace and order in the country,” New Era Thailand marketing manager Nonglak Sahavattanapong said.

She said the office, part of the culture ministry’s cultural promotion department, did not provide any further explanation in a written statement received by the distributor. The office did not immediately reply to a request from The Associated Press for comment.

Tropico 5 is the latest version of a game released by Kalypso Media. It allows players to play the role of a president of a tropical island, draft a constitution and manage the country, with the option of controlling the media and ruling as an iron-fisted dictator.

Thailand has been under a military dictatorship since May 22, when soldiers overthrew a civilian government in a coup. The junta has issued several edicts that critics say infringe on media freedom and free speech.

She said the company will not appeal the decision.

Thailand’s censors target a wide range of political and social issues. They blur out cigarettes and alcohol on television and crack down on scenes deemed immoral or pornographic.

Last year, the film board banned a documentary about the country’s long-running border dispute with Cambodia as a threat to national security.

In 2012, it banned a Thai adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, saying it could cause divisiveness among the people.