Aleena Pahod, a young Thai student on a full scholarship in Kuala Lumpur, considers herself lucky for being able to stay put in the capital under strict lockdown measures, without the need to immediately return home to Phangnga.
The 25-year-old is doing a bachelor's degree in Islamic Studies at the University of Malaya. It's her fourth year in the Malaysian capital.
Accommodation and tuition fees are fully covered by the programme. Now she is studying online.
The university delivered food to her apartment which is situated outside the campus for the whole month after the Malaysian government imposed lockdown on March 18. It has prohibited movement and mass assembly nationwide and people must stay at home and are not allowed to travel further than 10km from their residence. Now the student is able to go out once a week for groceries.
"It's not very convenient, but manageable," she said.
Unlike other Thais in Kuala Lumpur and other Malaysian cities, Ms Aleena decided not to return to her hometown because she was aware of complications from travel restrictions imposed by the Thai government. Health authorities are concerned that Thais abroad may be infected with the coronavirus and transmit it to others upon returning home.
In late March, the government of Prayut Chan-o-cha imposed tough regulations requiring those wishing to return to submit "fit-to-fly" health certificates for air travellers, or "fit-to-travel" certificates for those crossing by land at Thai diplomatic missions.
The government also set up a quota system to cap the number of Thais returning on any given day.
Half of the students in Ms Aleena's circle -- some 200 people -- managed to return to Thailand before the strict border regime was put in place. After that, only 10 or 20 could return home at a time. Currently, the registration must be done two weeks in advance and it's a tough process as the quota is always full.
Stranded Thais in Malaysia have to battle it out among their compatriots across the globe for their place in line.
It's reported that more than 5,000 Thais in Malaysia have struggled to leave the neighbouring country amid the countrywide lockdown which stripped them of their jobs and income. Some have no place to live. Operators of the so-called tom yum kung restaurants which were shuttered form a large group of returnees.
According to media reports, many of those Thai citizens who cannot return home have been provided assistance in the form of dry food and other miscellaneous goods from the embassy and consular offices there, somewhat easing their plight.
But the registration process to return to Thailand is making their already difficult lives harder. Several people who failed to secure the requisite health certificates decided to risk crossing the border illegally. One woman who earned a living as a rubber plantation worker broke down in tears when she managed to cross onto Thai soil. She said living on assistance packages was no stroll in the park.
Few have been as lucky as Ms Aleena, who said she could survive on the assistance package, while living in the university dorm is relatively safe. She has felt no urgent need to return to Thailand and expose herself to the risk of infection.
She knows some Thais were arrested and fined by Malaysian authorities for breaching the 10km travel restriction rule because they were trying to get a Fit-to-Travel certificate. Many, nonetheless, failed.
Some workers would choose to stay like Ms Aleena, if only they knew they could survive. Among them are some 30 employees at a Thai restaurant named Chokdee in Johor Bahru city, some 300km from Kuala Lumpur.
The restaurant has been closed since the March 18 lockdown was put in place. But Saengthip Lamdab has kept her staff on board, providing them food, if not a salary. The workers didn't want to return to Thailand, hoping for an an easing of the lockdown that would allow the business to reopen.
Ms Saengthip, 51, a native of Sukhothai who settled down in Malaysia over 20 year ago, has volunteered to help stranded Thais in her area. There are quite a few volunteers on the team.
Still, the health certificate requirement is making life hell on earth for many.
Some had obtained the wrong type of certificate as they have no access to updated information. Some had paid as high as 150 ringgit (1,096 baht), which is considered high compared to their average monthly income of 1,500 ringgit.
The volunteer said those who know her can get the document for 40-50 ringgit.
Ms Saengthip said several workers decided to hire a chartered bus to the border without the document, hoping by turning up, Thai Immigration officials would allow them to cross the border. This resulted in chaos.
Travel restrictions in Malaysia are also a problem for Thais seeking the health document. Now the Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur is arranging for a doctor at the chancery who can issue the document for free.
The embassy has also arranged a bus which leave daily. Those in Johor Bahru boarded the bus at Ms Saengthip's restaurant. One or more more buses leave each day.
But the quota remains a hassle. The number of those who will get approval any given day is a mystery. No one has a say in controlling their own fate.
"Some stayed late at night trying to register, with little hope of being accepted," she said.
Ms Saengthip remains weary of the registration process.
But the peak seems to have passed, and some workers are starting to rethink their decision to return home. Malaysia, like other countries, is likely to ease restrictions, which will allow people to once again earn a living.
Those who can survive this rough patch may not have to leave at all. So there is a ray of hope, if they can just start working again. But for now, all they can do is bide their time.