Netizens demand Minister of Public Health to resign after Covid surge

ThaigerPublished: 13:43, 20 December 2020| Updated: 16:45, 25 December 2023

219 2 minutes read

Netizens demand Minister of Public Health to resign after Covid surge — epa08291119 (FILE) - Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul (C) speaks to the media during a campaign event held to encourage the public to wear masks and wash their hands thoroughly as part of coronavirus prevention, at a skytrain station in Bangkok, Thailand, 07 February 2020 (reissued 13 March 2020). According to media reports on 13 March 2020, in a post to his social media account Charnvirakul allegedly stated that western tourists are more likely to spread coronavirus, due to poor hygiene. He also allegedly stated that coronavirus infection rates are high in European countries because face mask use is not practiced. EPA-EFE/NARONG SANGNAK

Today, Thai netizens are demanding the resignation of Thailand’s Minister of Public Health after the largest daily amount of Covid infections is being reported in Samut Sakhon Province.

That number of infections, reported today, is now up to 576, 516 of which includes migrant workers who have been in the news recently after several were found to have entered Thailand illegally from Myanmar, skirting mandatory quarantine requirements. The number is seen as alarming, after Thailand has had little to no infections in recent months. Furthermore, the kingdom has only reported about 4,000 cases since the pandemic began.

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The highest number of cases, in one day, in the past, was 188 on March 22.

Anutin Charnvirakul, Thailand’s Public Health minister is now being blamed, despite months of having no new locally-transmitted cases reported. The hashtag #ถอดถอนอนุทิน (Remove Anutin) started trending early this morning and has received over 254,000 mentions so far.

While many pointed to a few anti-foreign faux pas and premature statements he has made in the past, including a statement yesterday in which he blamed the outbreak on migrant workers coming illegally into Thailand, the minister has been targeted by anti-government protesters for months.

Such netizens have blamed Anutin for bringing his Bhumjai Thai Party into the ruling coalition with the military-backed Palang Pracharath Party. Some netizens have even posted of his expected demise by putting his picture next to the words, “the beginning” and “the end”.

Samut Sakhon Province was hit by a surge in Covid cases, with the number now reaching 576. The spike in cases is thought to be due to migrant workers illegally returning to Thailand from Myanmar and skirting quarantine requirements, moving to Samut Sakhon, neighbouring Bangkok. Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and surrouding areas were affected first as many Thais returned from border towns in those areas and were subsequently found to be infected with Covid after returning from the town of Tachileik, where they reportedly worked in the sex and leisure industry at a venue posing as a hotel.