Songkhla on high alert after migrant workers head home to Malaysia
Songkhla province in the South of Thailand went into high alert on Monday and announced maximum control measures for 30 days after hordes of workers began crossing the border into Malaysia.
Colonel Ayuphan Karnasuta, commander of the 5th Infantry Regiment, said from now on, anybody travelling in or out of the province must be able to produce a “certificate of necessity”.
Security along the Thai-Malaysia border, especially in the districts of Sadao, Na Thawi and Saba Yoi has been tightened to stop people from sneaking across.
The Covid-19 situation in Malaysia is still unresolved, and the government recently announced an extension of the country’s “lockdown” for the third time in a row since June 1. The lockdown is expected to last for another two to three weeks as the daily rate of infections in the country is still in the thousands.
Security authorities in Thailand have promised to be more vigilant and prevent illegal border crossings.
The Songkhla Public Health Office on Monday reported 275 new Covid-19 infections, most of them transmitted via family contact.
