Inter-provincial border checkpoints to be deployed from midnight of March 25

[webfact]

Inter-provincial border checkpoints to be deployed from midnight of March 25

By THE NATION

 

 

Governors of all provinces have been ordered to strictly comply with the government’s declaration of a state of emergency throughout the Kingdom with effect from Thursday due to the escalating new coronavirus (Covid-19) situation.

 

Permanent secretary at the Interior Ministry, Chatchai Phromlert, issued the order on Wednesday (March 25) asking all provincial governors to coordinate with local administration offices, police and military personnel in deploying checkpoints at borders between provinces from midnight of March 25 throughout April.

 

The checkpoints must be staffed at all times to monitor and facilitate traffic, as well as screen travellers for any sign of infections.

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-03-26

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[cornishcarlos]

Wonder if that will be major roads only ?? Do they have enough resources to monitor all roads across borders, 24/7 ???

Just where we live, there are 5 or 6 small road options within a 30km distance to move between Suratthani and NST !!

[Kwasaki]

At last.

[bangkokfrog]

6 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

Wonder if that will be major roads only ?? Do they have enough resources to monitor all roads across borders, 24/7 ???

Just where we live, there are 5 or 6 small road options within a 30km distance to move between Suratthani and NST !!

I imagine they have the resources (police & army), but will they deploy them or is this announcement all for show? Also, will the resources that are deployed stay vigilant 24/7, or will it be like the Songkran check-points where they play on their phones all day? The answers here will tell us how serious the government is in protecting the wider population.

[GeorgeCross]

anyone who lives in Hua Hin knows how messed up thats gonna be!

 

[Susco]

15 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

Wonder if that will be major roads only ?? Do they have enough resources to monitor all roads across borders, 24/7 ???

Just where we live, there are 5 or 6 small road options within a 30km distance to move between Suratthani and NST !!

 

By midday, they will realize they can't and 24 hour curfews will be enforced

[Arkady]

Are the inter provincial checkpoints already up between Bangkok and its surrounding provinces?

[JonnyF]

I drove BKK to Samut Prakan and back again today, didn't see any police.

[CLW]

Waiting for reports how it's done / implemented but I guess it's just show.

[Sheryl]

And what exactly will these checkpoints do?

 

"monitor and facilitate traffic" ....? Other than the usual shakedowns what is that?

 

"screen travellers for any sign of infections" - ridiculous..

 

I suppose just generally harass people so that fewer people travel?

[Mapguy]

If the military and other resources were appropriately deployed in Northern Thailand to fight fires and arrest those responsible for starting them, the major illnesses and slow deaths caused by respiratory ailments suffered every year would be avoided.

[Tayaout]

If you search Google news there is a slightly more detailed article that I can't link. 

[MikeN]

Well, the “other paper” has the checkpoint locations in Bangkok listed .....all seven of them, so it would not be hard to avoid them.

[ICELANDMAN]

11 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

And what exactly will these checkpoints do?

 

 

"screen travellers for any sign of infections" - ridiculous..

 

Why ridiculous screen travellers ? I think you underestimate the gravity of the situation

 

[Sheryl]

8 minutes ago, ICELANDMAN said:

Why ridiculous screen travellers ? I think you underestimate the gravity of the situation

 

Ridiculous to think police or army at checkpoints, with no test kits or medical training, can effectively do this.

 

 

[cornishcarlos]

8 minutes ago, ICELANDMAN said:

Why ridiculous screen travellers ? I think you underestimate the gravity of the situation

 

 

I think you underestimate the effectiveness of using an infra red thermometer, especially by untrained gangsters !! With a 14+ day incubation period, lots will not show any symptoms while moving from province to province anyway... 

[ICELANDMAN]

1 hour ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

I think you underestimate the effectiveness of using an infra red thermometer, especially by untrained gangsters !! With a 14+ day incubation period, lots will not show any symptoms while moving from province to province anyway... 

No I don't overestimate the use digital thermometer, every one know 14 day incubation period but here we are in Thailand where the public hospital system is from the third or fourth world, so at least stopping the unconscious ones carrying the virus is at least decreasing the spread of the virus by 50%

 

[taytee]

I feel like im getting mixed information, girlfriend is saying you cant travel to other provinces without medical papers... But this makes it sound like their just screening. GF's mom is with us and wants to go back home to Buriram so whats the deal with the inter province travelling is it restricted to just essential people or what? 

[Pilotman]

Rode my bike to the local 7/11 this morning to pay bills and get milk.  Not a road block in sight on the major routes of 331 and 332, no police or Army to be seen.  meanwhile all the locals are just going about their normal business. This Gov., idea will not work when people need to make a crust just to live. 

[cornishcarlos]

1 minute ago, taytee said:

I feel like im getting mixed information, girlfriend is saying you cant travel to other provinces without medical papers... But this makes it sound like their just screening. GF's mom is with us and wants to go back home to Buriram so whats the deal with the inter province travelling is it restricted to just essential people or what? 

 

I don't think they are stopping anyone travelling... Obviously they want to minimize it but no ban yet.

They originally said that everyone returning from Bangkok to their provinces would have to self isolate for 14 days !! 

No medical forms required to move around within the country as yet...

It will all change again by the time I hit submit button

[Kerryd]

Most small villages I've seen up country already have checkpoints set up. They usually aren't manned, though once in awhile you might see a cop sitting outside the nearby police box.
Simple matter for them to slap a couple extra barricades up and actually man the posts. I doubt the smaller places will check everyone. Maybe just the ones with "out of province" plates and such.

 

And as has been noted previously, the locals know which roads and cow paths to take to go around the checkpoints if they can't be bothered with going through them.

[SantiSuk]

Seems like every other rule change in Thailand - a recipe for anarchic and totally randomly variable implementation decisions by persons of limited IQ. Maybe there is some master plan being distributed to those who will implement, but crazy not to tell the populace exactly what you are trying to achieve. I expected something akin to martial law, which would have been warranted. All we seem to be getting is vague obfuscation and vague threats of more to come.

 

Reportedly Prayut has attached all power to himself and a bypass of cabinet decision making. Given that his number 2 seems to have been pressing for an enforced curfew it suggests that maybe there was no agreement at cabinet level. Wonder whether the PM got to thinking about the dangers of a pusch from below in his own ranks?

[mickyr55]

I travelled between Ban Chang and Sattahip this morning taking my GF to work going via 332 returning along Sukumvit, no checks on either.

[Assurancetourix]

2 hours ago, JonnyF said:

I drove BKK to Samut Prakan and back again today, didn't see any police.

As usual ....

[Assurancetourix]

46 minutes ago, Kerryd said:

And as has been noted previously, the locals know which roads and cow paths to take to go around the checkpoints if they can't be bothered with going through them.

Absolutely; that's what I pointed out in another post.
moreover, village checkpoints, when occupied for Songkran, for example, are not occupied by the police but by villagers dressed in khaki; they have no other weapon than batons.

 

These are the same people who make security during a morlam, for example ;

it's written " Police " but they aren't policemen .

 

[HashBrownHarry]

3 hours ago, JonnyF said:

I drove BKK to Samut Prakan and back again today, didn't see any police.

I drove from Phayoa to Sukhothai through several provinces, no check points, not one - business as normal.

[legend49]

3 hours ago, JonnyF said:

I drove BKK to Samut Prakan and back again today, didn't see any police.

Too hot and polluted outside.

[Pilotman]

As usual, pragmatism rules in Thailand, and it's not a bad thing in my view, as it may well save many thousands from destitution and abject poverty in the coming months.  The PM knows this.  He also knows that he has to say stuff in public, and to a wider international audience,  that will largely be ignored by the Thai public. As I say, pragmatic to the end. 

Edited March 26, 2020 by Pilotman

[Grumpy John]

1 hour ago, Kerryd said:

Most small villages I've seen up country already have checkpoints set up. They usually aren't manned, though once in awhile you might see a cop sitting outside the nearby police box.
Simple matter for them to slap a couple extra barricades up and actually man the posts. I doubt the smaller places will check everyone. Maybe just the ones with "out of province" plates and such.

 

And as has been noted previously, the locals know which roads and cow paths to take to go around the checkpoints if they can't be bothered with going through them.

I am in strife then,  I still have Chonburi plates even though I have lived in Phitsanulok province for 6 years!

[Grumpy John]

24 minutes ago, HashBrownHarry said:

I drove from Phayoa to Sukhothai through several provinces, no check points, not one - business as normal.

Same here. The road (4026) winds it way up to Wang Si Phun in and out of PhiChit Province and Phitsanulok province.  Not one cop to be seen!  Mueang PhiChit was situation normal.  So much for containing the Wohan China virus.