August 5, 2008
Bangkok - Copies of the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) computer game were taken off shelves after a high-school student had imitated the game to kill a taxi driver.
Regret regret over the incident was expressed by the New Era Interactive Media Co Ltd, the sole distributor of the game and software, on its website.
"We have stopped selling Grand Theft Auto (GTA) and inform all legal vendors to withdraw the game from their shelves," the company said in an online statement.
The company already cancelled its plan to import the GTA IV, the next series, to distribute in Thailand.
Customers were warned to be careful about the types of computer games they buy.
Friends and relatives of gamers were also asked to closely watch gamers’ behaviors.
An 18-year-old high school male student has been charged with robbery and possession of a weapon after killing the taxi driver.
He could face the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted.
He confessed that he wanted money to play the game which he has been addicted to for about three years.
Police found the bloody body of a 50-year-old Bangkok taxi driver slumped in his cab on Sunday.
The GTA computer game series, which has sold about 70 million copies, has been criticized for its graphic depiction of casual violence, drug dealing and prostitution.
