'Find the bad people," said an emotionally-charged Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Tuesday when he talked about the human trafficking gangs responsible for smuggling migrant workers from Myanmar into Thailand, blamed for the current Covid-19 outbreak in Samut Sakhon province.
He threatened to deal harshly with the bad people, be they officials or civilians.
The prime minister talked as if he does not know who is involved in the lucrative human trafficking of illegal migrant workers from neighbouring countries, Myanmar in particular. In which case, it is doubtful the bad people will ever be found, let alone charged and prosecuted.
The prime minister is behaving like someone who looks at his own nose and feels that it is far away, while in fact it is only a few inches from his eyes. He does not have to go far to look for the bad guys whom he described as a handful of selfish people who cause so much pain to millions of people.
In fact, they are all around him -- among the police, the military, local officials and labour officials who are indirectly involved in the racket and have exploited and benefited from the illegal migrant workers.
Ask any factory owner willing to talk in Samut Sakhon how much he has paid the police or labour officials to turn a blind eye to the illegal workers in his employment. Or ask veteran reporters in Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai, Mae Sot district in Tak or Ranong province -- the three main border crossing points for migrant workers from Myanmar -- if there any police or military officers who do not take bribes from human trafficking gangs?
But believe me, the bad people will never be found simply because they are among the officials themselves. Just as it is an open fact that illegal gambling dens or bars which stay open beyond operating hours pay bribes to police in the precincts where they are located and the money is shared out to officers at all levels up to the very top. Yet barely any police officers are ever caught for receiving such bribes.
Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Narongphan Chitkaewtae has given assurances that no army officers took bribes to turn a blind eye to the smuggling of illegal Myanmar migrant workers. That may be true now, as human trafficking has become the focus of public scrutiny. But what about before?
Besides the problem of human trafficking, all those in charge of security, especially Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, should have sealed the borders much sooner after the scale of the outbreak in Myanmar became apparent.
Finding "the bad people" is important, but priority should focus on the estimated 400,000 undocumented migrant workers in Thailand and how to deal with them.
In wake of the outbreak which is spreading fast, it is necessary they are encouraged to surface with a promise of legal immunity before a solution is worked out.
Migrant workers, illegal ones in particular, have been exploited for years by both their employers and officials.
While they are considered as crucial for the economy, especially in industries which require mass unskilled labour, little has been done by the government to improve their livelihood or ensure them fair employment deals.
The cramped living conditions of workers in Samut Sakhon was an example of negligence on the part of the government and, unfortunately, a perfect ground for the spread of coronavirus.
Worse still, putting asymptomatic migrant workers among healthy ones in the same sealed compound at the central shrimp market simply because there is no alternative facility, shows double standards as asymptomatic cases elsewhere are quarantined separately to avoid spreading the disease.
A field hospital or separate quarantine facility is needed and the provincial stadium has been chosen.
It is indeed disturbing when Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda, in response to a reporter's question about protests against the field hospital in Samut Sakhon by some residents, curtly said that it is the business of the Public Health Ministry.
Wrong. The virus outbreak is as much his business as that of Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
As the superior of the Samut Sakhon governor, he must make sure the health officials have all the support they need. Also, he should have explained to the public the need for the field hospital.
Having served as Interior Minister for seven years, it appears Gen Anupong still has a lot to learn. Yet this is the type of person trusted by the prime minister. And worse still, it is us who have to live with it.
Veera Prateepchaikul is a former editor of the Bangkok Post.