6 workers arrested for escaping Koh Samui during lockdown

Local authorities announced yesterday, that 6 workers have been arrested for breaking the Covid-19 lockdown restriction and escaping Koh Samui island to get to their home province of Ranong.

Local authorities receiving a tip-off. Which lead to provincial and army officers raiding a rented room in Ranong. Where the 6 workers were found.

They were all construction workers who were supposed to be working in Koh Samui.

District Deputy Chief, Sakdinan Thammaphrom said…

“One of the residents notified the authorities after they found strangers living in their area, so we went there to find out who they were.”

“We asked them to declare their travel history and found that they were a group of Koh Samui workers who had previously been turned away from the province at the checkpoint.”

From there, they were all arrested for challenging the governor’s order, which restricts people’s movement to the province. The workers have been placed under self-quarantine for the next 14 days.

Ranong had previously shut its entry and exit points on April 1.

“Officials at the checkpoint asked them to return to Samui on Saturday, which they complied,”

“However, it turned out that they approached the checkpoint again on Sunday’s evening, insisting on entering into the province.”

“They eventually backed off, before we found them in the city a few hours later.”

One of the workers identified as Roheem Meed said they decided to return to their home province without permission because this was the only option for them.

“We took a detour around the checkpoint because we could not return to Samui.”

“They will put us in quarantine for 14 days and there’s no job as well, so we decided that it’s better to return home.”

“As Ranong is one of the provinces Covid-19 free maybe we could find jobs there.”

SOURCE:KhaosoEnglish 

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