- Title: THAILAND: THAILAND BRINGS IN TROOPS TO FIGHT BIRD FLU
- Date: 25th January 2004
- Summary: (W3) SUPHANBURI PROVINCE, THAILAND (JANUARY 25, 2004) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. SV THAI PRIME MINISTER THAKSIN SHINAWATRA'S CAR ARRIVING IN SUPHANBURI 0.06 2. SV PRIME MINISTER THAKSIN SHINAWATRA GREETS DELEGATION 0.17 3. SLV DELEGATION ARRIVING 0.21 4. SV THAKSIN MEETS ARMY COMMANDER 0.27 5. LV OF ABOUT 400 CHICKEN FARMERS GATHER IN A HALL 0.32 6. SV THAKSIN DISCUSSING CHICKEN FLU OUTBREAK WITH A LOCAL FARMER 0.38 7. SV LOCAL CHICKEN FARMERS LOOKING ON 0.44 8. SLV THAKSIN ADDRESSING FARMERS DISCUSSING CHICKEN OUTBREAK 0.51 9. SV CHICKEN FARMERS LOOKING ON 0.57 10. SV THAKSIN EXPLAINS LATEST SITUATION TO FARMERS 1.05 11. SV/LV CHICKEN FARMERS LOOKING ON (2 SHOTS) 1.14 12. MCU (English) THAI PRIME MINISTER THAKSIN SHINAWATRA SAYING: "So they are worried about (chicken farmers) what they are going to earn for a living, for the time being. So we have to explain to them about the compensation on the number of chickens itself and also the replacement on the next generation of chickens and also the suspension during the suspension period". 1.41 13. SV THAKSIN TALKING TO FARMERS 1.46 14. MCU (English) THAKSIN SHINAWATRA SAYING: "I think we can solve the problems in Thailand within 30 days, but for negotiations with our trading partner, it will probably take a bit longer than that, but not much". 1.59 15. MCU THAKSIN TALKING TO JOURNALISTS 2.04 16. MCU (English) THAKSIN SHINAWATRA SAYING: "Even though we do not have the official result, but we have acted as though there was bird flu before". QUESTION - When you suspected it was bird flu before, why did you not tell the public?. "At that time it was not bird flu, how can you tell them it is bird flu, to provoke the frightened. But if we do not provoke them, but we do it accordingly, until the official come out." 2.34 17. SLV LARGE GROUP OF ROYAL THAI ARMY SOLDIERS MARCHING 2.47 18. SV SOLDIERS RECEIVING MASKS, GLOVES AND HATS 2.54 19. CU GLOVES, MASKS AND HATS HANDED TO SOLDIERS 2.58 20. MCU SOLDIERS WAITING IN LINE 3.02 21. LAS THAI SOLDIERS QUEUEING FOR SUPPLIES 3.08 22. SV BOXES OF RUBBER BOOTS 3.12 23. MCU OFFICIAL EXPLAINING EQUIPMENT 3.16 24. LAS PRISONERS RECEIVING MASKS, GLOVES AND HATS 3.22 25. SV SUPPLIES HANDED OUT TO PRISONERS 3.26 26. SLV/MCU PRISONERS LINE UP DRESSED IN PROTECTIVE CLOTHING (2 SHOTS) 3.38 (W3) SUPHANBURI PROVINCE, THAILAND (RECENT) REUTERS - ACCESS ALL 27. CU CHICKENS EATING 3.44 28. SV CHICKENS AND EGGS 3.49 29. PAN OF CHICKEN IN CAGES 4.00 30. SLV/SV WORKERS PLACING A CHICKEN INTO A SACK (2 SHOTS) 4.09 31. SV BAG OF CHICKENS TOSSED ONTO A TRUCK 4.15 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 9th February 2004 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: SUPHANABURI PROVINCE, THAILAND
- Country: Thailand
- Reuters ID: LVA3UYOAUU3Y7T91GECGHU06V861
- Story Text: Thailand brings in troops to fight bird flu.
Thailand brought in troops and prisoners on Sunday
(January 25) to kill millions of chickens in the hope of
stopping the spread of highly contagious bird flu, which
has jumped to humans in Vietnam and Thailand.
With most ordinary folk too scared to go anywhere near
chickens, 400 soldiers were drafted into Suphan Buri
province northwest of Bangkok, Deputy Agriculture Minister
Newin Chidchop told reporters. A hundred prisoners were
also brought in.
All chickens in the province, a major area of
production in a Thai industry that raises one billion
chickens a year and earns $1.5 billion in exports, will be
killed.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra went to talk to
worried farmers in the province on Sunday, promising them
compensation, help with starting up again once the epidemic
was defeated and a suspension of their debts.
"So they are worried about (chicken farmers) what they
are going to earn for a living for the time being. So we
have to explain to them about the compensation on the
number of chickens itself and also the replacement of the
next generation
of chickens", Thaksin told reporters after addressing about
400 worried farmers in Suphanburi on Sunday.
Thailand, which fears the disease and the import bans
that have choked off overseas chicken sales will devastate
its poultry industry, has been killing hens by tying them
up in fertiliser sacks and burying them alive.
The government, fighting off allegations it covered up
an outbreak of bird flu which the WHO fears could generate
an epidemic worse than SARS, is promising swift and
ruthless action.
But experts are wondering where it will emerge next
after springing up in Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea,
Cambodia and Vietnam.
Six people have died in Vietnam and two human cases
have been confirmed in Thailand.
Vietnam's latest known human case was an
eight-year-old girl in the southern metropolis of Ho Chi
Minh City.
Children appear most at risk -- five of Vietnam's six
dead and both Thailand's were children -- but nobody knows
why and the only comfort to experts at the moment is that
all appeared to have contracted it from sick chickens.
The World Health Organisation says if the avian virus
combines with a human flu virus, the consequences could be
devastating -- a new strain which could sweep through a
human population with no immunity to it.
The main problem now is how to stop it spreading, with
the WHO calling the near-simultaneous outbreaks in Asia
"historically unprecedented".
Thailand has invited senior health and agriculture
officials from Asian countries and international agencies
fighting the outbreak to a meeting to discuss such issues
on Wednesday.
It could come in for some private criticism at the
session, Western officials say.
Bangkok denies trying to cover up bird flu while it
said a sickness in chickens that emerged in November was
poultry cholera. The government said it was suspicious for
weeks but knew for certain only when tests confirmed the
disease on Friday.
"The government never realised it was avian influenza
before yesterday, but it was suspecting that it might be.
That's why some measures in extraordinary degrees had been
put in place," said chief government spokesman Jakrapob
Penkair.
Thaksin was on the defence again on Sunday, telling
reporters that while the government was acting as if there
had been a bird flu outbreak, it might have provoked panic
if it had said so.
He also said chicken exports could resume to Japan and
the European Union, Thailand's biggest customers, within
weeks, although the EU has said it could be months before
they resume.
"I think we can solve the problem in Thailand within 30
days but for the negotiations with our trading partner, it
will probably take a bit longer than that, but not much,"
he said.
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