ATTACKED for allegedly not realizing that people are hungry and starving was Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, who had earlier criticised a large crowd milling around close to each other to get donations at Wat Don Muang without leaving appropriate social distance, Sanook.com reported today (19.4.2020).
Dr Taweesilp had also said that handling giveaways in this manner risked spreading coronavirus with donors told to contact relevant departments to better organise and reduce risk at such events.
However Dr Rawat Wisarutwej, former director of the Department of Medical Services, lambasted Dr Taweesilp in a Facebook post for allegedly not realising the truth, which is that people are starving to death.
Dr Rawat mentioned that at 11 a.m. everyday there is an update on the Covid-19 outbreak, with latest figures on the number of patients and fatalities for both Thailand and other countries released.
However the while two totals for Thailand, which over the past 24 hours saw 32 new cases and no fatalities with 47 patients dead so far, are not high the people are suffering from not having enough eat after businesses were ordered shut by the government, he added in this post.
Dr Rawat also wrote that whenever the coronavirus totals rise the spokesman says it is because Thais are not disciplined and not cooperating fully, but he never once mentioned the failure in preventing people from bringing this virus here and spreading to Thais.
He further blasted Dr Taweesilp for criticizing people who are hungry and standing in a very long line for handouts for breaking the emergency order and not protecting themselves without realizing that they don’t have enough money to buy necessities as hoarding had either led to prices soaring or a big scarcity.
He also sarcastically said that these people milling around in a congested manner without fear of contracting Covid-19 are hungry which is something this spokesman would never understand because he had never experienced terrible poverty in life,
CAPTION:
Dr Rawat, left, and the people standing in a long line for handouts at Wat Don Muang. Thai inset headline says, “Because they are hungry.” Photo: Sanook.com
