HOURS-LONG FRACAS broke out between the Estonian Embassy and a Sukhumvit condominium building management yesterday (July 16) after the latter barred a person from quarantining in a rented unit within the complex and it ended with the Foreign Ministry providing a separate accommodation, Sanook.com reported this morning.
Mrs. Natasha Roys, vice chairperson of PPM Company Limited board, which manages Millennium Residence condominium, said she was contacted by Estonian Embassy at 2 p.m. that someone from the embassy would be coming to be quarantined for 14 days in a rented unit within the building.
The embassy send copies of Covid-19 test results verified by the embassy at the point of departure and Suvarnabhumi Airport to this condominium’s juristic person.
However the juristic person refused to let this person in fearing that the other residents in 604 units could be affected.
This objection comes after a Sudanese diplomat’s Covid-19 infected young daughter went to stay at a unit in a Sukhumvit Soi 26 condominium before being hospitalized last week. A mobile clinic came yesterday to perform coronavirus test on 267 residents of this building and all tested negative.
However the embassy’s representative would not agree to be barred from using the rented condo and claimed diplomatic privilege to do so. This led to the juristic person calling the police and Klong Toei district officials in to handle the situation.
Mrs. Natasha even contacted the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) but the officials there said this is a matter between the condo management and the embassy.
Mr. Phisuth Rakwong, manager of the Millennium Residence condominium juristic person, said if this issue reached the government to tell them there is no special exemption for VIPs anymore.
The talks between the two sides stretched till 10.20 p.m. at which point the Estonian Embassy representative contacted the Foreign Ministry to provide accommodation for this person who had now agreed to move there.
However the police and Klong Toei district officials ask the embassy to inform them where this accommodation is so that they could contact to find out after 14 days whether the individual in question is infected or not.
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Top: Talks between the two parties at the condominium’s lobby yesterday. Thai headline says, “condo will not allow entry, worried residents in 604 units will be affected, asked to quarantine elsewhere.” Photo: Sanook.com
