[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] It has come to light that over 5,000 COVID-19 cases have been collectively infected within prisons in Thailand, intensifying criticism.
According to the Bangkok Post on the 16th, the Thai correctional authorities announced that more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported in three prisons in Bangkok as of the previous day. Additionally, the authorities added that 877 inmates tested positive for COVID-19 on the morning of the same day. As a result, the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in the prisons has risen to 4,931.
As COVID-19 infections within prisons continue to be a problem, the correctional authorities stated that newly incarcerated individuals are being quarantined for 21 days. They further explained that only inmates who test negative are transferred to the general prison blocks, and there are plans to vaccinate all inmates.
However, criticism continues that these measures cannot solve the fundamental problem. The main cause of the COVID-19 spread is pointed out to be the excessive overcrowding inside the prisons. Chuwit Kamonwisit, a businessman and politician who was incarcerated three times in Bangkok prisons, shared his experience on his Facebook, mentioning the poor prison conditions such as "lying next to each other for 15 hours a day" and "living with up to 60 to 70 people in a 4×10m room."
Meanwhile, some members of the Thai public have raised suspicions that the authorities tried to conceal the spread of COVID-19 within the prisons. In particular, criticism arose because the number of confirmed cases was only announced after Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul (22), a well-known anti-government figure who was detained in a detention center and released on bail, revealed that she had contracted COVID-19 while incarcerated.
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