CHIANG Rai, Dec 8 (TNA) – The Northern Tourism Federation plans to sue the illegal returnees who brought in COVID-19 as well as their accomplices for damaging tourism.
Kitti Tisakul, chief adviser to the federation, said tourism-related operators including hoteliers, restaurateurs and car rental operators in the region would take the legal action.
The operators would conclude the combined damage which was estimated at about 20 million baht from Nov 29 to Dec 7. The lawsuit would initially target the people who crossed the border for work in Tachileik border town of Myanmar where they contracted the novel coronavirus, later sneaked back, dodged quarantine and visited places in the country irresponsibly.
Affected operators would also take legal action against the accomplices who illegally brought COVID-infected Thai women from Tachileik back to Thai soil, Mr Kitti said.
Border markets in Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai were quiet after news reports on the illegal returns of Thai people with COVID-19 from the neighboring country.
Since March 22, the Interior Ministry has closed the border crossing near the 1st Thai-Myanmar friendship bridge which spans Tachileik and Mae Sai. Before the closure, about 10,000 people had crossed the border there on a daily basis. (TNA)
