A new hashtag condemning the Thai government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic was trending on Twitter on Friday after Thailand saw new daily records in both infections and deaths.
The hashtag #รัฐบาลฆาตกร (government are murders) is being used by internet users to highlight perceptions that the government has not handled the crisis well leading to the current national emergency.
Netizens were quick to point out the decision made by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-Ocha and his cabinet to travel down to open the Phuket Sandbox despite record numbers of deaths and infections in the capital.
Footage of the trip, meanwhile, shows Prayut and his coalition eating and laughing by the ocean, as well as the PM walking away and dismissing a reporter’s question when asking about the situation and the death toll in the country.
“We are living in an age where the Prime Minister is laughing and relaxing by the beach, while his people are suffering and begging for food on the table.” one user wrote.
“You [the government] are ordering weapons and airplanes, but are not signing deals to ensure that your citizens are receiving the right vaccines to fight the pandemic,” another Twitter user fired. “Supporters of this government should stop seeing this as something normal and acceptable. What is this government trying to do? It’s worth a thought. You let your people die like this, how cold-blooded can you be.”
“The people are not dying from Covid-19, but from suicide from these imbeciles,” another user said. “I live in an age where I have to pay for my vaccines just to kill myself.”
At the time of writing, the hashtag has been tweeted 134k times.