reader Posted December 24, 2020 Posted December 24, 2020 From Thai Enquirer Thailand says no nationwide lockdown yet Thailand’s government said on Thursday that it had discovered 67 new coronavirus cases outside of migrant dormitories with 58 local infections and 8 cases inside state quarantine. The government said that the number of cases inside migrant dormitories had risen to 1,273 cases. Despite the increasing number of cases, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha told the nation that the government was still not ordering a nationwide lockdown and was instead dividing the nation into administrative zones. Prayut said that the Ministry of Public Health reaffirmed to him that it can still control the situation but added that the government needed the public’s cooperation. The public must be responsible to keep the numbers down, Prayut said. Administrative zones The government, according to spokesman Dr Thaweesin Visanuyothin, said that they would be dividing the country into four types of zones and the public response measures will depend on which zones the provinces are located in. The four areas are, in descending order of severity, as follows : Highly controlled area (many cases in multiple areas) controlled area (over ten cases with the likelihood to increase) the highly monitored area (less than ten cases) monitored area (no cases) The government said that it would keep factories and agricultural industries running as long as possible to minimize the second wave’s impact on the economy. However, this was subject to change depending on the situation. The government also said that all information would be centralized under the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration as the press have been reporting unverified facts and spreading panic. New Years For new years’ celebration, all celebrations are canceled in highly controlled areas except for online celebrations. Controlled areas can have limited private celebrations with limited participants. Highly monitored areas and monitored areas can have celebrations but parties must be smaller than normal and observer social distancing. ================================================= From Khaosod English You Can Donate to Migrants, Health Workers in Samut Sakhon SAMUT SAKHON — Members of the public, including expats, can donate both money and medical equipment to migrant workers and frontline medical professionals in Samut Sakhon, where many are grappling with the new wave of coronavirus cases. As of Thursday, 1,273 infections were found in Samut Sakhon province over the past week. The cluster was traced by health officials to the Mahachai Market’s shrimp section. The Red Cross is collecting donations for care packages for migrant workers under quarantine in Samut Sakhon. According to rights activists, both healthy and infected workers are being locked together and unable to work for their salaries, as prices of basic necessities skyrocket. Donate to the Thai Red Cross for Disaster Relief account at Kasikorn Bank, account number 001-1-34567-0 to contribute. When donating, you can add a note either in Thai or English to specify the donations be used to aid migrant workers affected by COVID-19 in Samut Sakhon. vinapu 1 Quote
reader Posted December 25, 2020 Posted December 25, 2020 From The Thaiger ===================================================== From Thai Examiner PM criticises employers for using cheap, illegal migrant labour as officials remain on high alert Thai officials are still holding out hope that a nationwide lockdown can be avoided as the Prime Minister has signalled his displeasure at the kingdom’s employers who put the country at risk because of greed. It comes as the government has introduced a colour-coded system to help the public to understand the extent of the threat in highlighted provinces where vigilance is required. One of these, notably, is Bangkok. Prime Minister Prayut Chan ocha has excoriated employers who brought illegal migrant workers into Thailand to exploit them for cheap labour. General Prayut revealed that the government is looking at upgrading the system for the registration of migrant labour after the outbreak in Samut Sakhon, last weekend, has exposed the underbelly of Thai industries which are dependent on cheap foreign labour. The PM made it clear that he does not blame the migrant workers who, he pointed out on Thursday, must be provided for and treated in this current emergency. He blamed the employers and said that those responsible should be ashamed of themselves. vinapu and splinter1949 1 1 Quote
reader Posted December 29, 2020 Posted December 29, 2020 From Bangkok Post Two-year stay allowed for illegal migrant workers The cabinet on Tuesday approved the registration of illegal migrant workers from three countries who can stay in the country for two years in a bid to contain the novel coronavirus. Deputy government spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul said online registration, set for Jan 25 to Feb 13, would allow Cambodian, Lao and Myanmar migrant workers to work in the country for two years, or until Feb 16, 2023. According to the deputy government spokesperson, many migrant workers were found to be infected in the new outbreak. When the government tried to test more of them in at-risk areas, many employers who had hired illegal migrants moved them to other areas and abandoned them there for fear of legal action. Several illegal migrant workers also voluntarily left the areas for fear of prosecution. This made it more difficult to contain the spread of the disease, she said. or the new round of registration, an illegal migrant worker who does not have an employer must find one within 90 days. After the online registration, health officials will conduct a physical checkup and Covid-19 tests on them. The costs of the tests and the required two-year health insurance, totalling 7,200 baht, will be paid by the workers or their employers. ======================================== From The Nation Outbreak spreads to 45 provinces, could grow to ‘thousands of cases per day’ Thailand recorded 155 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday – 134 domestic infections, 10 in state quarantine, and 11 migrant workers – taking the total since January to 6,440. The latest outbreak has now spread to 45 provinces, said Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesperson of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). The Disease Control Department warned that cases could rise to 18,000 per day in the next two weeks if the outbreak went unchecked. The department’s epidemiology working group calculated three possible scenarios. First scenario (red line): If nothing is done, new cases will rise steadily until January 14 when infections reach 18,000 per day. The trend would start at 1,000-2,000 infections per day at New Year then grow steeply. Second scenario (yellow line): If moderate measures are imposed, new cases will rise to reach 10,000 per day by mid-January. Third scenario (green line): If strict measures are imposed and people maintain mask-wearing, hygiene and social distancing practices, cases will rise less than 1,000 per day. "We are currently in an ‘orange line’ scenario,” said Taweesin. “I admit that I am worried because if the orange line goes up at 45 degrees, there will be thousands and thousands of infections. "During the New Year holidays, people can travel anywhere except Samut Sakhon, which is under lockdown, but the 45 provinces with cases should have strong measures to monitor the virus. This New Year will be unusual. The threat of two- or three-digit daily infection rate has forced us to adapt to a new situation. Provinces don’t have to impose strict lockdowns, but all must adjust by tightening disease control measures,” he added. vinapu 1 Quote
Guest Posted December 30, 2020 Posted December 30, 2020 15 hours ago, reader said: The cabinet on Tuesday approved the registration of illegal migrant workers from three countries who can stay in the country for two years in a bid to contain the novel coronavirus. Deputy government spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul said online registration, set for Jan 25 to Feb 13, would allow Cambodian, Lao and Myanmar migrant workers to work in the country for two years, or until Feb 16, 2023. They need to be careful with the rules, otherwise the unintended consequence will be loads of people rushing accross the border so they can register as illegal. If migrant workers are really necessary, they should try a low cost subsidized qarantine programme. I was about to add "jail anyone employing illegal immigrants", but realised I might be an offender ☺ Quote
vinapu Posted December 31, 2020 Posted December 31, 2020 On 12/29/2020 at 11:42 PM, z909 said: I was about to add "jail anyone employing illegal immigrants", but realised I might be an offender ☺ I'm glad you realized it. There are things called unintended consequences reader 1 Quote
reader Posted January 2, 2021 Posted January 2, 2021 Two brothers, ages 3 and 10, are trapped in an apartment building fire 15 meters above the ground in a French suburb. Their fate is in the hands of a group of migrant workers from many different nations. What follows is the stuff of courage--and a bit of a miracle. Although at first glance the heroics described in the the following article seemingly have nothing to do with what's happening in Thailand, on reflection they have everything to do with the the manner in which migrant workers are commoditized, berated and scapegoated--and in many situations by those who profit most from their cheap labor. The following link contains a graphic video and a story that challenges our view of migrants--legal and otherwise--we have come to see in our visits to the LOS. From The BBC The Catch Excerpt: The boys were saved by a group of immigrants on the very same estate that erupted - almost 10 years previously to the day - in violent rioting, prompting an excoriating anti-immigration speech by then French president Nicolas Sarkozy. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/tgh54itx0b/grenoble-children-jump-from-fire vinapu 1 Quote
