BANGKOK, April 18 (Xinhua) -- About 200 villagers in southern Thailand on Saturday gathered to protest the quarantining of Thai nationals from Malaysia in their neighborhood, police said.
The protesters, who are natives of Pak Phayun district of Phatthalung province, put on face masks and demonstrated outside a resort hotel in the neighborhood of their village where a number of Thai workers from Malaysia were earlier planned to be bequarantined for 14 days under monitoring process for possible COVID-19 infection.
Phatthalung Provincial Governor Kukiat Wongkraphan visited the scene and told the protesters to peacefully disperse. The governor said the workers would not be quarantined at that hotel as planned.
Dozens of policemen stood guard as the provincial governor met with the protesters.
The workers, whom the Pak Phayun villagers apparently feared to possibly spread the infectious disease, would be instead transported to some other place for the mandatory quarantine, according to the provincial governor.
About 7,000 to 8,000 Thais, earlier hired for jobs in Malaysia, are expected to leave the neighboring country for southern Thailand, beginning on Saturday.
However, only about 300 of the homecoming workers will be allowed daily to get in through border checkpoints in Yala, Narathiwat, Songkhla and Satun provinces in southern Thailand. Immediately after their return, they all are bound to undergo the 14-day quarantine. Enditem
