Cambodia to allow Westerdam cruise ship shunned over virus fears to dock

[webfact]

Cambodia to allow cruise ship shunned over virus fears to dock

By James Pearson and Juarawee Kittisilpa

 

Passengers relax on board the Holland America-operated Westerdam cruise ship, which has been denied permission to dock in Thailand over coronavirus fears, February 12, 2020. Maria Angus/Handout via REUTERS

 

HANOI/BANGKOK (Reuters) - Cambodia has agreed to let a cruise ship that has been turned away by five countries over fears that someone aboard may have the coronavirus dock and disembark its passengers, the Holland America Line said on Wednesday.

 

For nearly two weeks, the MS Westerdam, a ship of healthy passengers, had been sailing throughout Asia after being turned away by Japan, Taiwan, Guam and the Philippines over fears that someone on the cruise could have the new flu-like virus that has killed more than 1,100 people, almost all of them in China.

 

"We will immediately begin making our way to Sihanoukville in Cambodia," Westerdam captain Vincent Smit told passengers, according to a recording of the announcement reviewed by Reuters.

 

"There will be a brief health inspection on board by the Cambodian authorities which will take place at anchor just before we arrive alongside," said Smit.

 

The ship is expected to arrive in Cambodia around 7 a.m. (0000 GMT) on Thursday, he said.

 

The latest country to shun the ship, which has 1,455 passengers and 802 crew on board, had been Thailand, where the health minister refused to grant the Westerdam permission to dock.

 

"The staff has tried to bolster spirits but you can only play so many games of trivia," Angela Jones, a business consultant from the U.S. state of Georgia, told Reuters in a video recording sent before the news that Cambodia would take the ship. "I've asked others who say they are napping a lot."

 

Like many on board, Jones had embarked in Hong Kong for a much-anticipated cruise through the region in early February. It was scheduled to be a two-week cruise, but with that period running out this week, there had been worries about fuel and food supplies. Many on board are elderly and there was also concerns they could be running out of medicines.

 

CHESS AND SQUABBLES

To kill time and break up the monotony of endless ocean scrolling past cabin windows, the ship's crew have organised dozens of activities to keep people occupied, tourists on board the vessel told Reuters.

 

People could be seen playing chess and doing puzzles on Wednesday, in some of the first pictures published by media of life aboard the ship.

 

Other activities on offer included colouring-in for adults; teeth whitening; poker tournaments; whisky tasting; even a lecture on modern China which delved into the economics of collective farming, according to passengers on board and a copy of the ship's activity programme seen by Reuters.

 

Passengers on board the ship have been subjected to regular health checks, according to Holland America, the ship operator and a unit of Miami-based Carnival Corp. There have been no reported cases of the coronavirus on board.

 

Stoking fears of authorities in countries on the ship's route has been the ongoing quarantine in Japan of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, also managed by a unit of Carnival Corp. A total of 175 out of the 3,700 people on board the Diamond Princess have tested positive for the coronavirus.

 

Late on Wednesday, the Westerdam changed its course away from Bangkok and began heading towards Cambodia, according to data published by the Marine Traffic ship tracking website.

 

Earlier, the Thai Navy "Bhumibol Adulyadej" warship could be seen escorting the Westerdam in waters just off the Thai coast, according to passengers and Marine Traffic.

 

Despite the uncertainty, crew members had staged a farewell ceremony for passengers on Wednesday morning, singing to the tune of the 1979 hit "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge.

 

Elsewhere on board, the patience of some passengers has been tested by the prolonged uncertainty, Jones said, as some people pushed and shoved for access to one of the ship's only available computers and printers, to re-book flights home.

 

"Hard to imagine these senior cruisers coming to blows but guess that happened," said Jones. "It's funny and sad at the same time".

 

(Reporting by James Pearson in Hanoi and Juarawee Kittisilpa in Bangkok; Additional reporting by Matthew Tostevin in Bangkok; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Alex Richardson)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-02-13

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[webfact]

Westerdam cruise ship heads for Cambodia

 

Photo from www.hollandamerica.com

 

A cruise ship with over 2,000 people on board and which has been denied entry by three countries is now on its way to Cambodia after Thai authorities said it would not be allowed to dock in Thailand, its operator reported Wednesday evening.

 

Holland America Line said on its twitter that the Westerdam cruise ship was heading toward Sihanoukville seaport in southwestern Cambodia and was expected to arrive there at 7am.

 

It said the Cambodian government has granted permission for the ship to dock and to remain at Sihanoukville port for several days for disembarkation and replenishment.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/westerdam-cruise-ship-heads-for-cambodia/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2020-02-13

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[PatOngo]

Refreshing to see common sense prevail over ignorance!

[lujanit]

Anutin really screwed this up.  Denying a berth just shows how two faced and a hypocrite he is.  There was nothing to warrant refusal of a berth.  Adequate testing is in place.  The continual allowing chinese from China entry unrestricted shows his two faces. He is a very small man, with no principles.  Just does what China tells him to do.  Utter scum.

[Odysseus123]

Well done,Cambodia!

[smedly]

41 minutes ago, lujanit said:

Anutin really screwed this up.  Denying a berth just shows how two faced and a hypocrite he is.  There was nothing to warrant refusal of a berth.  Adequate testing is in place.  The continual allowing chinese from China entry unrestricted shows his two faces. He is a very small man, with no principles.  Just does what China tells him to do.  Utter scum.

I don't think China had anything to do with it - all of his own doing 

 

I can see a cabinet reshuffle coming soon 

 

Problem for passengers now is Sihanoukville - a popular Chinese destination - what's the virus status there I wonder, I hope the passengers are aware of this, I would not like to be going there at all at this time

 

Like I said in another post - the prospect of stepping foot in Thailand would not have been my choice either 

[AlexRich]

That lot will do more damage than Pol Pot! 

[Estrada]

Westerdam Cruise Ship Update: "Westerdam is now docking in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, arriving at 7am local time on Feb 13 & will remain in port for several days for disembarkation. All approvals have been received & we are extremely grateful to the Cambodian authorities for the support:" I have advised the Thai Health Minister to help Hun Sen with medical staff assistance. "When I visited Hun Sen and the Cambodian Minister of Health some time ago, their health service was pretty poor, lacking in equipment, doctors and well trained staff. They are going to have to cope with 3,500 pasengers and crew. You may want to make sure that no passengers with symptoms make their transit through Thailand."

[Beggar]

4 hours ago, lujanit said:

Anutin really screwed this up.  Denying a berth just shows how two faced and a hypocrite he is.  There was nothing to warrant refusal of a berth.  Adequate testing is in place.  The continual allowing chinese from China entry unrestricted shows his two faces. He is a very small man, with no principles.  Just does what China tells him to do.  Utter scum.

Other countries denied a berth too. In addition the ship didn't want one in Thailand. They wouldn't have been tourists here anyway. They would have been brought to the airport to fly home. Nothing else. 

[JustAnotherHun]

1 minute ago, Beggar said:

Other countries denied a berth too. In addition the ship didn't want one in Thailand. They wouldn't have been tourists here anyway. They would have been brought to the airport to fly home. Nothing else. 

Ahh, I see. Not tourists, no money to be made, deny entry.

Arriving Chinese at the airports and land borders: Welcome!

Well done, Anutin.

[Assurancetourix]

His home port is in which country?
Why did he not return to his starting point?
Starting point where there are certainly more doctors qualified in immunology than in Cambodia which is still a very underdeveloped country in this field.

[phantomfiddler]

Nice to see a bit of humanity, obviously lacking in the Land of Smiles (ex) !

[Odysseus123]

They n

3 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said:

His home port is in which country?
Why did he not return to his starting point?
Starting point where there are certainly more doctors qualified in immunology than in Cambodia which is still a very underdeveloped country in this field.

They needed to dock somewhere-they do not require medical aid.

 

They were initially approved to dock in Thailand but that giant amongst Thai intellectuals (and beloved of servile farangs who will take a beating from anyone) declined on second thoughts.

 

Meanwhile the Chinese are still flying in helter-skelter with the minimum of health checks.

 

Go figure eh?

[Assurancetourix]

1 minute ago, Odysseus123 said:

They needed to dock somewhere-they do not require medical aid.

I was not speaking for the passengers who are, unless otherwise advised, all sane in spirit and body.
But Cambodians themselves who have lived for many years in contact with tens of thousands of Chinese; especially in Sianoukville.
Passengers should not be allowed to contact the local population

[BritManToo]

I seem to be missing the point here.

Why would anyone refuse a ship that hasn't been to China, and doesn't have Chinese on board?

Are the airports refusing landing to random flights too?

 

Cambodia seems much more welcoming to white tourists than Thailand.

Maybe it's time for western governments to blacklist Thailand as a destination.

Edited February 13, 2020 by BritManToo

[Odysseus123]

13 minutes ago, Assurancetourix said:

I was not speaking for the passengers who are, unless otherwise advised, all sane in spirit and body.
But Cambodians themselves who have lived for many years in contact with tens of thousands of Chinese; especially in Sianoukville.
Passengers should not be allowed to contact the local population

There doesn't seem to be too many cases in Cambodia.

 

The ship will dock,be resupplied and the passengers will go their merry way as usual.

 

Meanwhile in the nation that attracts the most servile,gravel rashed,graaping "farangs" on earth there will be,no doubt,much applause for a minister who refers to us as "F%$#@*ng farangs" and renigged on his deal and turned the ship away.

[stouricks]

55 minutes ago, Estrada said:

They are going to have to cope with 3,500 pasengers and crew

Since when did 1455 passengers plus 803 crew add up to 3500.

[JustAnotherHun]

27 minutes ago, stouricks said:

Since when did 1455 passengers plus 803 crew add up to 3500.

Thai mathematics?

[yellowboat]

4 hours ago, smedly said:

I don't think China had anything to do with it - all of his own doing 

 

I can see a cabinet reshuffle coming soon 

 

Problem for passengers now is Sihanoukville - a popular Chinese destination - what's the virus status there I wonder, I hope the passengers are aware of this, I would not like to be going there at all at this time

 

Like I said in another post - the prospect of stepping foot in Thailand would not have been my choice either 

Actually, it seems to have fallen out of favor as of late, due to the ban on online gambling.  Last reports were it was abandon if I am not wrong.

 

Hun Sen will get one over on the Thais and the Americans.  Its a master stroke on his part.  He dared to do what nobody else would do.  He is a funny guy. 

 

HS may want to talk the Holland Cruise Ship Line about fixing up Snooky now that the Chinese are abandoning it.  He resisted Thai investors who wanted to turn it into Pattaya. 

[webfact]

UPDATE:

 

Cruise ship shunned over coronavirus fears arrives in Cambodia

Prak Chan Thul

 

MS Westerdam, a cruise ship that has been turned away by five countries over fears that someone aboard may have the coronavirus, is seen arriving in Sihanoukville port in Cambodia February 13, 2020. REUTERS/Stringer

 

SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia (Reuters) - A cruise ship which had spent two weeks at sea after being turned away by five countries over fears that someone aboard may have the coronavirus arrived in Cambodia on Thursday to the relief of passengers and the praise of global health officials.

 

Full story: https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1148107-cruise-ship-shunned-over-coronavirus-fears-arrives-in-cambodia/

[BestB]

In all honesty , this government has outdone itself in pretty much all fields. Not a single bit of positive outcomes in anything they have touched or done. 
 

it is one thing to mistreat some foreigners who may have broken the law or something but totally different when it comes to matters like this 

 

if international media picks up the story and spins it as it is, thai image would be ruined forever , who will be getting fined for that ????

[TheAppletons]

19 minutes ago, BestB said:

In all honesty , this government has outdone itself in pretty much all fields. Not a single bit of positive outcomes in anything they have touched or done. 
 

it is one thing to mistreat some foreigners who may have broken the law or something but totally different when it comes to matters like this 

 

if international media picks up the story and spins it as it is, thai image would be ruined forever , who will be getting fined for that ????

 

  I made a small friendly wager last week that Prayuth would not be PM by the end of 2020.  I like my chances. 

[SiSePuede419]

No sympathy from me for Cruise ship patrons.

 

Didn't I just read one of the people stuck on a ship was a BUSKER from London?  Did they pay in coins? ????

 

People who take cruise ships tend  not to be very bright (it's a hotel room that you can drown in, people).

 

And they obviously hate to travel. 

 

The majority of the time you see nothing but water.

 

You're told what to do and when you can eat, just like the military.

 

And just like prison, the food is highly suspect and communicable diseases often run rampant. ✓

Edited February 13, 2020 by SiSePuede419

[JonnyF]

Meanwhile the Seabourn Ovation has been allowed to dock at Phuket, complete with passengers from Hong Kong.

 

https://www.thephuketnews.com/officials-assure-virus-screening-of-thousands-of-tourists-as-cruise-liners-come-to-phuket-74797.php

 

Same same but different.

 

[Proboscis]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

I seem to be missing the point here.

Why would anyone refuse a ship that hasn't been to China, and doesn't have Chinese on board?

Are the airports refusing landing to random flights too?

 

Cambodia seems much more welcoming to white tourists than Thailand.

Maybe it's time for western governments to blacklist Thailand as a destination.

That is the point.

 

[Saint Nick]

Well...and with the ship now going to Cambodia, the Thai- government gave away all the control it may have had!

In a Thai- port, they could have vetted the passengers and - in case of imminent danger- could have acted accordingly (although I shiver at the sound of that!).

Now, they will all go on land in Cambodia, which seems to be less equipped than the Thai - medical personel and some might even enter Thailand, by taking the flight home, through Bangkok and even spend a few days here, to rest from their hardship (sic!).

 

Well done Thailand!

Chance to control the situation- missed!

Chance to show some humanity- missed!

 

[BobbyL]

37 minutes ago, TheAppletons said:

 

  I made a small friendly wager last week that Prayuth would not be PM by the end of 2020.  I like my chances. 

Little P is just a pawn for the people who are really running the show nowadays. He is nothing more than a media face for the Thai style 'democracy'. He will be moved on when the time is right for the upper echelon. 

 

Have a read around online at the stories that aren't published in the Thai news or are on TV and you'll see more.

[BestB]

46 minutes ago, TheAppletons said:

 

  I made a small friendly wager last week that Prayuth would not be PM by the end of 2020.  I like my chances. 

But it’s not just him . It’s entire cabinet and everyone he put in charge of anything . 

[Odysseus123]

6 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

Little P is just a pawn for the people who are really running the show nowadays. He is nothing more than a media face for the Thai style 'democracy'. He will be moved on when the time is right for the upper echelon. 

 

Have a read around online at the stories that aren't published in the Thai news or are on TV and you'll see more.

Very,very true...

 

Hence his somewhat puzzled look at times-as if someone has inserted a digit up his rear end and is reaming hard.

[BestB]

6 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

Little P is just a pawn for the people who are really running the show nowadays. He is nothing more than a media face for the Thai style 'democracy'. He will be moved on when the time is right for the upper echelon. 

 

Have a read around online at the stories that aren't published in the Thai news or are on TV and you'll see more.

You are correct. What does not make sense though is why so many incompetent people were and are allowed around him.

 

one thing if he was a puppet but country was doing well, it’s another when you have convicted drug dealer or An ignorant playing deputy PM and country falling apart in all aspects