Parasite-hit Thai on mend

>> Preparations are underway to fly home from Taiwan a 33-year-old Thai worker suffering from a severe parasitic infection after eating freshwater shellfish, said a senior labour official.

Deputy labour permanent secretary Phetcharat Sin-auy said the authorities concerned are making arrangements to bring Chatchai Khuridee, a native of Udon Thani, back to Thailand.

According to Ms Phetcharat, his condition is improving slightly and he will be allowed to travel as soon as doctors in Taiwan give him the green light.

Citing information from labour officials in Taiwan, she said the worker, who is employed in Tainan by Uni-President Co, fell ill after eating freshwater shellfish caught from a canal near the factory where he worked.

He was diagnosed with a severe parasitic infection and is being treated at a hospital in Tainan.

Mr Chatchai’s case caught the public’s attention after his family issued an appeal through media outlets to help bring Mr Chatchai home.

According to media reports, he has been in hospital for almost two months and is said to be unresponsive. His family is attempting to raise funds to shoulder the cost of bringing him back to Thailand.

Ms Phetcharat said the Thai labour office in Taiwan has been closely following the case and noted that expenses for bringing him back are estimated at over 200,000 baht.

She added that labour officials have contacted his family in Udon Thani to offer initial assistance.