Some 2,132 migrant workers returning from the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Laos have been repatriated, with a small number testing positive for Covid-19.
Eleven Myanmar reports that the migrant workers returned from Laos via Tarchileik Township between 30 July and 24 August.
Of the 2,132 who returned, 196 of them tested positive for Covid-19 and were accepted back into their country in accordance with Myanmar’s guidelines on Covid-19.
The Tarchileik Township Covid-19 Prevention, Control and Treatment Committee carried out medical checkups and Covid tests on 2,132 Myanmar migrant workers since 1 August, finding 196 migrant workers infected with the coronavirus.
The infected patients have been sent to the Wunlon Quarantine Center in Tarchileik Township, while the remaining workers will return to their homes.
Unrest in the SEZ
Hundreds of Myanmar laborers staged a protest in the SEZ in early August, sparked by unemployment and unhappiness with Covid-19 prevention and control measures during a lockdown in the SEZ.
Authorities in the SEZ mediated with the protestors, leading to the governments of Laos and Myanmar holding discussions to find a solution for the return of the workers.
Thousands of Myanmar migrant workers remain in the SEZ, according to Eleven Myanmar, but will be repatriated soon.
