Thailand faces chaos from Jagat coin hunt

Thailand has become the latest country affected by the popular 'Jagat Coin Hunt' game, an Indonesian-created application where users engage in virtual treasure hunts across various locations.

Police in major Thai provinces have issued alerts, warning users that their attempts to hunt for coins could lead to trespassing on private properties and legal consequences.

Cybercrime police are investigating the ‘Jagat’ application, through which users can play the “Jagat Coin Hunt” game, which involves players searching for and collecting coins to exchange for cash, to ensure that no Thai laws are being broken.

Pol Lt-Gen Trairong Phiwpan, commissioner of the Cybercrime Investigation Bureau, said today that he has ordered an investigation in Phuket, one of the five locations where the ‘Jagat’ platform has been activated, because he in concerned that the game, especially the coin hunt feature, could pose a threat to life and property.

The other four areas are Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Pattaya.

The platform allows its users to stay connected with family and friends in real time. What makes this platform unique, though, is the coin hunt feature.

According to the police, the cash prizes for a bronze coin range from 500 to 2,000 baht, a silver coin wins 20,000 baht and a gold one can fetch up to 200,000 baht.

Police say two teenagers were recently found searching for ‘Jagat’ coins in Phuket and were briefly detained by the police for questioning. They were released without charge.

Pol Lt-Gen Trairong said, though, that coin hunters could face trespass charges if they enter other people’s property or restricted areas without permission in their search for the coins.

According to Thai law, trespassers can face a jail term of up to five years and/or a fine not exceeding Bt100,000.

In Chonburi, coin hunters searched a construction site near a beach, leaving the area untidy and scattered while In Chiang Mai, police were alerted to individuals trespassing onto private properties during their coin hunts.

Photo: Chonburi

‘Jagat’ has gone viral on social media in Indonesia, especially on TikTok.

An Indonesian researcher at the Centre of Economic and Law Studies, Rani Septya, noted that innovations integrating game play with augmented reality, like the ‘Jagat’ Coin Hunt, are not entirely new.

She cited Pokémon Go, another app, which became a global phenomenon a few years ago.

From an economic perspective, she said the game’s popularity highlights the high level of interest among Indonesians in generating additional income.

According to the Jakarta Post on January 13, the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex was crowded with coin hunters over the past week, causing damage to several public facilities in the complex, including plants, paving blocks and lamp posts, as the hunters searched.

File photo: the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex

The management of the sports complex has asked the application’s developer to remove any virtual coin locations from the complex.