Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Two apologise for quarantine video

Two apologise for quarantine video

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
A returning migrant worker in Oddar Meanchey province. Oddar Meanchey Provincial Hall

Two apologise for quarantine video

Two Cambodian workers in Oddar Meanchey province have made a public apology to authorities, health officials and the government for having posted a pre-recorded video message on Facebook alleging that the authorities had provided inadequate food and supplies during their quarantine.

Following the allegations, officials visited the workers and questioned them directly about the video they had posted.

The workers, Don Chanthou and her older sister Don Chanthy, admitted that they had made these allegations because they missed their family and wanted to go home.

“We posted a video on social media. We didn’t mean any of it to be taken seriously, and it wasn’t our intention to attack the provincial leaders and other officials. In fact, the [quarantine centre] has provided us with good food, not raw rice and just fish paste or prahok like I mentioned in the video,” Chanthou said.

The video message posted on Chanthou’s Facebook account on December 31 said: “Hello, 2021! Everybody else seems fine, but my four siblings and one of their children have all been eating [nothing but] plain rice like in a prison for the past 14 days.”

The provincial hall’s administration director, Chea Piseth, denied the allegations.

“It’s not true and totally unreasonable, as they now admit. Authorities provided three full meals a day to all the workers who were staying in the quarantine centre, and our medical staff frequently checks on their health,” he said.

When questioned, another worker who is staying in the quarantine centre in Oddar Meanchey province said he is pleased with the government’s efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19 to his family members at home.

“We come from far away and we do not know if we have contracted the Covid-19 virus or not so we understand why the authorities require us to be isolated for 14 days,” he said.

He also said that during the quarantine the workers had received some basic supplies such as mosquito nets and blankets in addition to the daily meals.

Cambodian workers have returned from Thailand through seven provinces along the Cambodian- Thai border after Thai authorities reported an outbreak of Covid-19 that had spread into the community.

From December 20 to January 5, between 5,000 and 6,000 Cambodian workers had returned from Thailand.

The decision to impose a 14-day mandatory quarantine for returning migrant workers was made in response to the severity of the outbreak. So far, 17 returning workers have tested positive for Covid-19.

As of January 4, Cambodia had recorded a total of 382 Covid-19 cases, with 20 patients remaining hospitalised.

MOST VIEWED

  • Joy as Koh Ker Temple registered by UNESCO

    Cambodia's Koh Ker Temple archaeological site has been officially added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, during the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 17. The ancient temple, also known as Lingapura or Chok Gargyar, is located in

  • Famed US collector family return artefacts to Cambodia

    In the latest repatriation of ancient artefacts from the US, a total of 33 pieces of Khmer cultural heritage will soon return home, according to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts. In a September 12 press statement, it said the US Attorney’s Office for the

  • Cambodia set to celebrate Koh Ker UNESCO listing

    To celebrate the inscription of the Koh Ker archaeological site on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Ministry of Cults and Religion has appealed to pagodas and places of worship to celebrate the achievement by ringing bells, shaking rattles and banging gongs on September 20. Venerable

  • Ream base allegations must end, urges official

    A senior government official urges an end to the allegations and suspicions surrounding the development of Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, now that Prime Minister Hun Manet has addressed the issue on the floor of the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA 78). Jean-Francois Tain, a geopolitical

  • CP denied registration documents by ministry

    The Ministry of Interior will not reissue registration documents to the Candlelight Party (CP). Following a September 21 meeting between ministry secretary of state Bun Honn and CP representatives, the ministry cited the fact that there is no relevant law which would authorise it to do

  • Manet touches down in Beijing for high-level meetings

    Prime Minister Hun Manet arrived in Beijing on September 14 for his first official visit to China, where he is slated to attend the 20th China-ASEAN Expo and meet other leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping. Upon his arrival, Manet laid a wreath at the Monument