AYUTTHAYA: Residents of Bang Ban district gathered in front of a building for dharma practice run by the Dhammachai Institute on Tuesday morning in opposition to its planned use as a quarantine centre for illegal workers returning from virus-hit South Korea.
The facility is located near the Chao Phraya river in tambon Sai Noi of Bang Ban district.
The demonstrating villagers said if the building was designed especially for dharma practice. Using it as a quarantine centre would disrupt the meditation routines of monks and lay people, and their quality of life.
Since none of the people of Bang Ban districted had the virus, they had the right to oppose the plan, they argued.
Villagers first heard of the plan on Monday afternoon and immediately started exchanging comments on social media.
Late on Monday night, provincial governor Panu Yaemsri cancelled a planned visit to the building on Tuesday morning to see whether it is suitable to be used for quarantine. He instead assigned his deputy to do the task.
But the deputy governor did not show up on Tuesday morning.
A leader of the protesting villagers said since hardly anyone from Ayutthaya went to work in South Korea he did not understand why Bang Ban district had been selected as a possible site for a quarantine centre. The opinions of the local people should be sounded out first, he said.