Editorial
Since
mid-December, Thailand has reported over 2,000 cases linked to a new outbreak
of COVID-19 detected at a seafood market in Samut Sakhon province. The country
had previously seen a total of only around
4,300 COVID-19 cases between January and December.
Thai Prime
Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said in a statement
on December 22 that illegal migrants were responsible for the outbreak and
“have brought much grief to the country.” The prime minister’s comments, a
surge in online hate speech against migrants and a series of government
restrictions that only apply to migrants have prompted objections from migrant
advocates.
After the first confirmed cases, the government immediately shut down the market in Samut Sakhon and placed over 4,000 people in isolation. The government began testing over 40,000 people after months of almost no local transmissions. The new outbreak has spread to nearly 50 of Thailand’s 77 provinces though most cases have so far been traced to Samut Sakhon.