Thailand has posted a record jump in COVID-19 cases following a spike in infections at the country’s overcrowded prisons and detention facilities that has affected several young activists held on charges of insulting the monarchy.
Health authorities on Thursday reported a total of 4,887 cases in a new daily record for Thailand since the pandemic began.
Of that figure, 2,835 of the cases involved detainees, many of them held in pre-trial detention at two prisons in the Thai capital, Bangkok.
Human Rights Watch, a United States-based rights group, expressed concern over the COVID-19 outbreaks in prisons on Thursday, saying people in custody were at “grave risk”.
The group called on authorities to swiftly reduce overcrowding by releasing detainees who do not pose a threat to others and improving prisoners’ access to…
