BANGKOK, July 11 (NNN-TNA) – The Thai Immigration Bureau said, it dispatched hundreds of officers to patrol the porous areas bordering Myanmar, for fear of illegal migrants crossing to Thailand and spreading COVID-19.
The Thai army, police and administrative officers of border town, Mae Sot, in the northern province of Tak, conducted inspections along jungles and the Mekong River, the two main areas dividing Thailand and Myanmar.
The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), said that, despite the border seal-off during the COVID-19 lock-down, there have been reports of illegal entries of Myanmar workers.
“We are about to reach 50 days of free local COVID-19 transmission, and since the ban of inbound flights still prevail, the second wave of infection would likely come from those who illegally crossed the border to Thailand,” said CCSA spokesman, Taweesin Visanuyothin.
Taweesin said, as Thailand entered its Fifth Phase of easing of business lock-down, illegal migrants are searching for ways to enter Thailand, to meet the soaring demand for cheap labour.
“It is a challenging job for border task force to intercept the flow of illegal migrants,” said Taweesin. “Our borders are intricate and porous.”– NNN-TNA
