Coronavirus: Global situation
Thailand's virus clusters spotlight conditions for migrant labour
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A Myanmar migrant worker keeping to his quarters where he has been stuck in for 12 days due to lockdown curbs, after clusters of Covid-19 cases were detected among construction workers in Bangkok.
PHOTO: REUTERS
BANGKOK • A series of Covid-19 clusters among construction workers in Bangkok, including the first local cases of the variant first identified in India, has put a fresh spotlight on migrant labour rights as Thailand grapples with its deadliest outbreak so far.
Migrant workers were crucial during Bangkok's decade-long construction boom, but they receive limited welfare from the government and their employers, advocacy groups say. Many live onsite in crowded dormitories to save money.
Thailand last week detected 36 domestically transmitted cases of the highly infectious B16172 variant, first detected in India, among people in construction workers' accommodation in Bangkok.
The city authorities have prohibited movement of workers at such camps after 11 camps were found among 30 active clusters in the capital. There are around 409 workers' camps around Bangkok where the authorities say 62,169 workers live, about half of whom are migrant labour.
"Migrant workers are a group that society overlooks," Ms Suthasinee Kaewleklai, Migrant Workers Rights Network (MWRN) coordinator in Thailand, said. "Many were not confident that they can come in for tests and not be arrested."
The International Organisation for Migration estimates that there are four million to five million migrant workers in Thailand, many working in the construction, manufacturing and seafood industries.
Workers from Myanmar were among those worst-hit by Thailand's previous coronavirus outbreak in December, the epicentre of which was a province near Bangkok with a high concentration of migrant labourers. The outbreak also saw a sharp rise in anti-Myanmar hate speech on Thai social media.
There are also concerns that illegal border crossings are undermining Thailand's strict quarantine system for arrivals in the country. The authorities tightened border crossings at the weekend after three local cases were found of the variant first identified in South Africa, stemming from illegal entry.
Thailand is battling its most severe outbreak yet, fuelled by another highly transmissible variant, B117, first detected in Britain.
REUTERS