migrant workers
- Thailand News
Laos Covid-19 cases rise as migrant workers return from Thailand
Covid-19 cases in Laos has spiked, reportedly due to migrant workers returning home from Thailand, bringing the virus with them. In Thailand’s latest wave of infections over the past several months, many of the workers had lost their jobs while others returned to their home country to flee from lockdown restrictions at construction camps and factories, primarily in Bangkok. Covid-19…
- Thailand News
Migrant workers ask Thai government for assistance during the pandemic
With Covid-19 affecting many migrant communities in Thailand, Cambodian workers are now asking the Thai government for help. A petition calling for assistance during the pandemic to help with providing food, financial support and medical services was submitted this week to the Thai Ministry of Labour and Parliament. Thousands of Cambodian migrant workers signed the petition, which was submitted by…
- Covid-19 News
Restrictions may be eased at some Bangkok camps to allow essential work to continue
Tough restrictions on movement at construction camps in Bangkok may be eased slightly to allow essential work to go ahead. Natthapol Nakpanich from the National Security Council says officials discussed the issue at a meeting yesterday, noting that the suspension of some works could pose a risk for engineering reasons or by delaying hospital builds. For this reason, construction work…
- Covid-19 News
Stricter “bubble and seal” measures implemented at factories
Factories in and around Bangkok are implementing rigorous bubble and seal measures in accordance with government’s instructions in an effort to stop the spread of Covid-19. The Bangkok Post reports that workers face tough travel restrictions, whereby they may be confined to the factories or can only travel between their place of work and their dormitory. Already, there have been…
- Thailand News
2 men arrested in Kanchanaburi for allegedly smuggling in migrant workers over the last 2 days
Early this morning and yesterday night, 2 Thai nationals and over 28 Burmese have been arrested in Kanchanaburi, a province in western Thailand. The Thais were allegedly smuggling the migrants into Thailand so they could work in the country. The exact charges have not been specified. In the first bust: A combination of police, soldiers, and “volunteers” had stopped and…
- Thailand News
“Eating raw meat and no medical care” – Phetchaburi field hospital escapees
Earlier today The Thaiger wrote how 500 Covid patients tried to escape a field hospital in Phetchaburi. Now, we have further information on why they may have wanted to escape… power outages, they were being frequently in the dark, had to eat raw meat, and were not provided medical care. Tlay Nyo, one of the workers told Thai media… “We…
- Covid-19 News
515 test positive for Covid at construction site in Nonthaburi, mostly migrant workers
Another construction site, this time in Nonthaburi, north of Bangkok, has reported an outbreak of Covid-19 after active testing revealed 515 people infected with Covid-19, over half of the 959 total workers who were there and screened. The worksite, Sin0-Thai, has been ordered to close. The majority of those who tested positive were asymptomatic, according to provincial health officials who…
- Pattaya News
Spike in Chon Buri cases as 127 infections reported in migrant worker communities
The eastern province of Chon Buri has reported a big jump in Covid-19 cases today, with 127 new infections found among migrant workers. This is up from just 65 new cases yesterday. The Pattaya News reports that provincial health officials have been ramping up testing at workplaces in the province, which will account for the spike. Of today’s 127 new…
- Covid-19 News
Lockdown at Bangkok construction camp as up to 86% of residents test positive
A large construction camp in the Laksi district of Bangkok is to be locked down as a result of a new cluster of Covid-19 infections. The Bangkok Post reports that up to 86% of those living in the camp have tested positive for the virus. It’s understood the camp is owned by Italian- Thai Development Plc, which is involved in…
- Covid-19 News
Over 400 workers quarantined as 115 Covid infections confirmed at pineapple factory
Officials in the western province of Prachuap Khiri Khan have reported 115 new Covid-19 infections at a pineapple factory. 402 workers are now in quarantine, with a dedicated isolation facility set up within the factory, while the 115 patients are receiving medical treatment. Deputy provincial governor, Kittipong Sukpakun, says the quarantine facility will be in use for 14 days. According…
- Covid-19 News
Government clamping down on illegal migrants in effort to curb Covid-19
The Thai government is coming down hard on illegal migrant workers and their employers, in an effort to curb imported cases of Covid-19. The Bangkok Post reports today that the Labour Ministry has created 6 teams to focus on the issue of illegal workers and the bosses who hire them. Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin says the teams have been tasked…
- World News
Dozens of Burmese migrants arrested at Thai-Myanmar border for entering illegally
As many flee Myanmar to escape violence following the February military coup, Thai border patrol arrested 60 Burmese migrants yesterday for crossing the Thai-Myanmar border illegally into Kanchanaburi. Another 52 migrants in the province were arrested on Monday. Officers suspect many entered Thailand in search of jobs. The migrants were charged with illegal entry as well as violating emergency orders…
- Covid-19 News
17 new Covid infections in new Samut Prakan cluster, 584 being monitored
The Department of Disease Control says 17 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in migrant workers in the central province of Samut Prakan, part of the Bangkok Metropolitan Region and directly south and east of central Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport is in Samut Prakan). Opas Karnkawinpong from the DDC says the infections were detected at migrant worker camps, and an…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand may offer free Covid vaccines for migrant workers covered by national social security program
The Thai government is looking at offering free Covid‐19 vaccines to migrant workers who are covered under the nation’s social security program. The Thai Ministry of Labour is set to discuss the move with the Social Security Board. If approved, over 2.3 million migrant workers would be inoculated for free, costing around 3 billion baht. The Labour Minister says migrant…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Pyramid scammer arrested, first vaccines arrive next week | February 16
A 45 year old Thai woman, known as Jay Phet, has been arrested, along with several Burmese accomplices and nearly 400 of the trafficked migrants. She was arrested for acquiring illegal Burmese migrants, getting them over the border… undetected, and then sending them to the Central Seafood Markets along the coast of Samut Sakhon province, just south west of Bangkok.…
- Thailand News
More than 600,000 migrants registered with Labour Ministry over the past month
More than 600,000 migrant workers have registered with the Thailand Labour Ministry over the past month. Late last year, the Thai government announced migrants from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar would be granted a 2-year work permit and health insurance. Registration with the ministry’s Department of Employment was open from January 15 until February 13. The move follows the Covid-19 outbreak…
- Covid-19 News
Samut Sakhon officials seal off migrant workers in 7 factories for entire month
Health officials in the central province of Samut Sakhon have taken the unprecedented step of sealing off 7 factories, where 40,000 migrant labourers live and work, until the end of February. The action is aimed at halting the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Public Health Permanent Secretary, Kiatipoom Wongrajit, says over 9,000 infections have been found in the 7 factories,…
- Covid-19 News
PM instructs Samut Sakhon officials to check employers are not hiring illegal workers
With the number of Covid-19 infections among migrant workers in Samut Sakhon failing to go down, the PM has instructed officials to make sure companies are not still hiring illegal workers. Prayut Chan-o-cha spoke to deputy governor Surasak Pholyangsong by video conference from Government House yesterday. The central province of Samut Sakhon is considered the epicentre of Thailand’s second wave…
- Thailand News
374 new cases today – Covid update
New case numbers have jumped alarmingly again today, even though the growth curve was starting to flatten a bit this week. Thailand is reporting 374 new cases of Covid-19 today over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to over 12,000 infections since the pandemic began. Only 10 of those cases were non-local infections as they were found in state quarantine.…
- Crime News
Arrest warrants sought for 8 civilians suspected of smuggling migrant workers
Deputy national police chief Damrongsak Kittiprapas has confirmed that arrest warrants are being sought for 8 civilians implicated in the illegal smuggling of migrant workers. The Bangkok Post reports that the 8 face charges of aiding and abetting illegal immigration. The workers were trafficked from Myanmar to the central Thai province of Samut Sakhon, where the latest outbreak of Covid-19…
- Covid-19 News
900 more Covid-19 cases in Samut Sakhon detected in mass testing
900 more Covid-19 cases were detected in the coronavirus-hotspot Samut Sakhon, a local health official announced today. Due to the major outbreak in the province, just southwest of Bangkok, factories might be turned into quarantine areas and field hospitals. There are now 2,296 Covid-19 patients in the province, most of the cases detected in proactive testing, according to Disease Control…
- Thailand News
Thailand News Today | Pattaya restrictions, 2021’s extra holidays, Covid update | December 30
From everyone at The Thaiger, thank you SO much for all your support over 2020. It’s been a difficult year! And we will be back in 2021 with a lot more Thailand News Today as well as other videos about Thailand and the region. Pattaya and neighbouring Banglamung in Chon Buri province are now classified as “highly controlled” areas with…
- Covid-19 News
Officials say strict containment measures will bring Samut Sakhon outbreak under control
Health officials in Thailand say a number of strict containment measures being implemented in the central province of Samut Sakhon, should bring the Covid-19 outbreak under control within the coming weeks. Permanent Secretary for Health, Kiatiphum Wongrajit, says around 4,000 migrant workers located at the epicentre of the outbreak are being detained for over 10 days to ensure they do…
- Thailand News
Central Thailand restaurant offers free boxed meals to migrants
With some restaurants refusing to serve migrants due to fears that they might carry Covid-19, a restaurant in the Central Thailand province Nakhon Sawan is offering free food to migrant workers. Many migrants, particularly from Myanmar, have faced discrimination after the outbreak in Samut Sakhon which impacted a large community of migrant workers around the Mahachai area fishing hub. Owner…
- World News
Thai government urged to offer amnesty to illegal migrants and their employers
The Thai government is being urged to grant amnesty to undocumented migrant workers in the Kingdom and to extend the reprieve to their employers. The call has been picked up by a number of Thai media outlets, as well as Thai citizens concerned about the latest Covid-19 outbreak. Those calling for the amnesty say it would stop workers fleeing quarantine…
- World News
Officials on the hunt for corrupt border guards blamed for Covid spread
The Thai PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, has put the Deputy Defence Minister in charge of hunting down crooked border officials whose corruption is thought to be behind the latest Covid-19 outbreak. With most of the new infections detected in Burmese migrant workers in the central province of Samut Sakhon, it’s believed many have been smuggled into Thailand illegally, bypassing mandatory quarantine.…
- Thailand News
Samut Sakhon employer allegedly “dumps” migrant workers at a highway outside Bangkok
A group of Burmese migrant workers ended up on the side of a highway near Bangkok after their employer allegedly told them to get in a van to go get tested for Covid-19. The incident caught media attention as many coronavirus prevention measures focused on migrant workers were recently imposed after hundreds of workers at a seafood market in Samut…
- Pattaya News
Several migrant workers flee Samut Sakhon detention, 3 re-captured in Chon Buri
A group of Burmese workers managed to flee a detention area in the Covid-19 hotspot of Samut Sakhon yesterday, with 3 later re-captured in the eastern province of Chon Buri. The Pattaya News reports that photos showing a broken wall went viral on social media, with claims that several migrant workers had smashed the wall and torn down wire fences…
- Covid-19 News
Something fishy about the Samut Sakhon Covid outbreak – who’s responsible?
Here are 2 resources for the above story… https://thethaiger.com/news/national/… http://www.rapid-asia.com/blog/forced… Until the weekend many people would have never heard of Samut Sakhon, a province just south west of Greater Bangkok and sharing a provincial border with the capital. The province is best known as a major hub for Thailand’s shrimp and fishing industry, packed with markets around the coastal tributaries…
- Covid-19 News
UPDATE: Thai PM says lockdown could become unavoidable
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is warning that another lockdown could prove unavoidable, should Covid-19 figures escalate out of control. Today, 427 new Covid-19 cases were reported by the Centre Covid-19 Situation Administration, 397 of which are migrant workers. Yesterday, the CCSA reported 382 new cases, 360 of which are in migrant workers. Spokesperson Dr. Taweesilp Visanuyothin says 14 local cases…
