POLICE are moving to prosecute Thais who sneaked across the border after working at 1G1 Hotel in Myanmar’s Tachileik town and spreading Covid-19 infection in Chiang Rai and several other provinces with Mae Sai district police having already rounded up 10 of those who have recovered, Amarin TV reported today (Dec. 15).
Acting on the order of Pol. Lt. Gen. Prachuap Wongsuk, commander of the Provincial Police Region 5, police are filing three charges against the suspects but have to wait another week for a few others to fully recover to take action against them too.
The three charges are as follows:
– Entering the Kingdom without going through an immigration checkpoint which is a violation of Section 11 of the Immigration Act B.E. 2522 with the penalty being a fine not exceeding 2,000 baht;
– Violating regulations issued under Section 9 of the Civil Service Administration in Emergency Situations Act B.E. 2548 together with the requirements issued under Section 9 of the Emergency Decree on Management of Emergency Situations B.E. 2548 (No. 1), Clause 3 by opening a channel to enter the Kingdom with the penalty being maximum two-year jail term and/or a fine not exceeding 40,000 baht;
– Non-compliance with orders of communicable disease control officials or the provincial governor under Section 35 (1) of the Communicable Diseases Act B.E. 2558 (Chiang Rai Province Order No. 1380/2563) on suspension of travel across the border through permanent and temporary checkpoints with the penalty being maximum one-year imprisonment and/or a fine not exceeding 100,000 baht.
Meanwhile Chiang Rai Medical Emergency Response Centre said from Nov. 28 till today Dec. 15, there have been a total of 55 Covid-19 cases with one of the patients having contracted the disease within this province while six had sneaked across the border. Of this total 17 have been discharged, among them are those who illegally slipped across the border, while 38 remain under treatment.
Local Myanmar authorities have also sent word that over 20 Thais in Tachileik had informed them that they want to cross back to Thailand with their documents currently being processed.
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Top: Fenced portion of Thai-Myanmar border in Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province. Thai headline says, “1G1 gang summoned.” Photo: Amarin TV
