'Amnesty' joining 'Bew Nuttha' to fundraise and distribute Covid-19 PPE kits To ethnic Mani people and prisons'

Amnesty International Thailand in collaboration with Nuttha ‘Bew’ Thongkaew, Miss Face of Humanity Thailand 2021, will fundraise and distribute clothe face masks, surgical masks, thermometers, and hand sanitizers to the ethnic Mani people in the provinces of Satun, Trang, and Phatthalung and seven prisons in Bangkok and other provinces under the campaign “No-one is safe until everyone is safe.” Bew Nuttha has also launched another campaign to urge public health authorities in Satun, Trang, and Phatthalung and the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Interior to “Not leave the ethnic groups behind during the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Piyanut Kotsan, Director of Amnesty International Thailand said that from discussions about the problems of vulnerable groups during the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been found that the ethnic Mani people have been living with fear and mistrust given their utter lack of understanding about Covid-19. They are also deprived of access to proper information and news due to their lack of literacy in Thai language. Meanwhile, the public authorities have failed to ensure comprehensive services making them lack access to medical treatment and vaccination as well as PPE kits to protect themselves from the infection. The ethnic Mani people are also deprived of access to relief programs due to their lack of Thai citizenship. Many of them have not obtained Thai citizenship and ID cards as they have missed out on the surveys.  

Prison inmates are another vulnerable group amidst the Covid-19 pandemic as they are forced to live in crammed places and are deprived of access to health facilities and equipment while there has been reported widespread infection in the prison system. Coupled with a lack of access to fair and effective vaccine roll-out, there are currently over 68,000 infections among the prison population with nearly 150 deaths.

“As proclaimed by the World Health Organization (WHO), “Nobody is safe until everyone is safe” and the Thai government’s goal to ensure all people in Thailand are fully and voluntarily vaccinated, Amnesty has been calling on the Thai authorities to adopt measures to ensure everyone has access to fair, indiscriminate and urgent vaccination.  This should be done based on a transparent vaccine roll-out plan and health science as well as the necessity to prevent communicable diseases while recognizing the right to universal healthcare coverage.  Any discrimination based on the grounds of differences in race, nationality or social status is unacceptable since it will simply exacerbate the infection crisis.”

Lately, Amnesty also launched a new report and a new campaign #100DayCountdown to demand the redistribution of two billion doses of vaccine to poorer countries before the year end including Thailand. We call on six Covid-19 vaccine developers and states to offer the two billion doses of vaccine to low income and lower middle-income countries before the year end to ensure no one has to live in distraught and fear for another year.  

“While comprehensive vaccine roll-out does not yet materialize, we invite all to share face masks, surgical masks, thermometers, and hand sanitizers or to donate to procure such PPE for the 12 groups of ethnic Mani people, over 500 of them, in the provinces of Satun, Trang, and Phatthalung and seven prisons in Bangkok and other provinces including (1) the Chiang Mai provincial prison, (2) the Kalasin provincial prison, (3) the Central Women's Correctional Institution in Bangkok, (4) the Bangkok Remand Prison, (5) the Thonburi Women's Correctional Institution, (6) the Thanyaburi provincial prison and (7) the Narathiwat provincial prison.  

Meanwhile, Bew Nuttha Thongkaew, Miss Face of Humanity Thailand 2021, reveals that she has started an online campaign via Change.org/SaveManiPeople to urge public health authorities in Satun, Trang, and Phatthalung and the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Interior to “Not leave the ethnic groups behind during the Covid-19 pandemic.” 

Her online campaign on Change.org/SaveManiPeople features the following demands; 

1. To outlay money to effectively distribute PPE kits among the ethnic Mani people This may include PPE such as face masks, alcohol gel/spray, and facilitating the ethnic Mani people’s immediate access to health services upon the detection of Covid-19 infection 
2. To mobilize community volunteers to distribute the relief items This can bridge the gap due to the lack of Thai literacy among the ethnic people and to ensure their access to help on various fronts. The volunteers can reach out to them to raise their awareness and offer them self-care tips.  
3. To prepare IEC materials accessible and understood by the ethnic group The materials may include information on how to protect oneself from Covid-19, treatment information and information about other public services 
4. To disseminate information on vaccination among the ethnic group to help aid their decision to receive the vaccination 

“I invite all Thai people, fellow beauty pageants, or other influencers to sign on and support the campaign “Don’t leave the ethnic groups behind during the Covid-19 pandemic” via Change.org/SaveManiPeople to make our voices heard and to mobilize to let the authorities or those in charge of healthcare know what is most needed during this time.  

Amidst the crisis, it may be challenging to expedite any particular effort. But as human beings, everyone deserves to have access to care on a universal and fair basis. And the government can arm us by ensuring that all of us have access to vaccination as much as possible. I hope that this online campaign initiated by me shall elicit cooperation from all Thai people and that all of you will sign on and help to make your voices heard among the public authorities about the need to urgently respond to the Covid-19 outbreak among the ethnic people on a universal, equal, fair and sustainable basis. Make no mistake, no one shall be left behind, no one shall be abandoned despite their remote presence since no one is safe until everyone is safe.” 

This project will fundraise and accept donation as well as the sharing of PPE kits from today until 31 December 2021, or until the demands are fully met by public authorities.  

Please send Covid-19 PPE kits to Amnesty International Thailand 139/21, Lat Prao 5, Jom Phon, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, or donate to purchase the PPE by transferring your money to Amnesty International Thailand Association, Siam Commercial Bank, savings a/c no. 047- 2-42617-5.

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