How Are Myanmar Migrants in Thailand Faring in the Face of COVID-19?

By The Irrawaddy 2 January 2021

Ye Ni: Welcome to Dateline Irrawaddy! Anti-Myanmar hate speech has flared among Thai citizens after thousands of Myanmar migrant workers were involved in the recent COVID-19 outbreak in Thailand.

We’ll discuss what Thailand’s Health Ministry is doing to fight hate speech and provide equal treatment to COVID-19 patients regardless of their race and nationality. U Aung Kyaw, co-founder of the Bangkok-based Migrant Workers Rights Network, joins me to discuss this. I’m The Irrawaddy Burmese editor Ye Ni.

COVID-19 has spread in Thailand, though the country had been able to effectively control the virus previously. The outbreak occurred at Samut Sakhon near Bangkok. As thousands of Myanmar migrant workers have become infected in the outbreak, they are being blamed for spreading COVID-19. The worst thing is even Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha…