Prachuap Khiri Khan: The provincial governor has put in place strict border surveillance measures to catch people slipping into the country through the porous natural border as measures to stem the spread of the Covid-19 virus are set to intensify.
Prompiriya Kitnuson, deputy governor of Prachuap Khiri Khan, said yesterday he ordered provincial authorities at a meeting to closely monitor any attempts by Myanmar people to enter the country illegally and the return of Thais through natural borders to prevent the virus from being imported.
The public health office reported that from Oct 12 to Nov 30, local authorities randomly examined the health of 197 drivers of freight transport vehicles entering Thailand through permitted areas at Singkhon checkpoint in tambon Khlong Wan.
The authorities detected no cases.
Officials also examined 90 Thais and Myanmar nationals who sneaked into the country through the border from July to November.
Once again, the results confirmed no infections.
Mr Prompiriya added officials have organised quarantine facilities for people caught illegally entering the country as part of measures to keep out anyone who might be infected.
Village heads and district chiefs in border areas were assigned to patrol their communities regularly.
Meanwhile, Col Sittiporn Chulpana, commander of the Lat Ya taskforce of the Surasi military camp in Kanchanaburi, said a Thai man attempted to get back into the country and avoid being quarantined despite the border closure yesterday.
He was charged with violating the disease control law.
Chalermkiat Chansataporn, 43, was caught riding his motorcycle and trying to re-enter the country through the Three Pagodas Pass on the Thai-Myanmar border. He was found in possession of 800,000 baht in cash.
Checks by the police found he had been jailed on a premeditated murder charge when he was 20 and served time until he was 33. After his release, he ran a slot machine business in the border area.