Massage parlour, spa businesses sue govt for THB200 million in lost earnings
More than 100 spa and massage parlour owners filed a lawsuit against the government on Tuesday and are demanding 200 million baht in compensation.
The lawsuit filed with the Civil Court said spa and massage businesses are the first to be closed every time there is a lockdown, and so far nothing has been done to compensate them for lost earnings.
Three Move Forward Party MPs and a team of lawyers accompanied the spa and massage parlour owners to the court in Bangkok’s Ratchadapisek area.
Pitak Yotha, president of the Jarawi Association for the Conservation of Thai Massage, said it is unfair to categorise spas and massage parlours as risky establishments because no clusters or even individual infections have been found in any outlets.
The group is also demanding 200 million baht in compensation because the government has not offered any help so far.
Sirikanya Tansakun, deputy leader of the Move Forward Party who helped file the case, said this would be the first “class action” civil lawsuit to be ever filed in Thailand.
“I want this case to be historic – one that forces the government to take responsibility for the citizens’ well-being and damages these entrepreneurs are suffering. It has been over a year, and the government has offered no compensation to this sector. Now we must rely on the court to determine how much damage has been caused by this government during the pandemic. This lawsuit is the first in a long line of lawsuits from other groups like restaurants and bars,” the MP said.
