Thai PM refuses entry to cruise ship from HK

The prime minister of Thailand said on Tuesday that his government will deny entry to a cruise ship due to fears over the spread of a new coronavirus.

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha told reporters in Bangkok that Westerdam's some 2,000 passengers will not be disembarking, but that the ship will be able to refuel and get food and supplies if needed.

"Another important matter is the prevention of spreading the coronavirus. There are lots of social media posts about a cruise ship. We are not allowing them to disembark here, but we will provide humanitarian assistance like refuelling. If they would like water and food supplies, we can provide that to them. We need to implement proper measures in this situation, just like other countries have. I hope everyone understands because there are quite a number of passengers on board, over 2,000."

There are no confirmed cases of the virus onboard, but it stopped in Hong Kong less than two weeks ago, which is within the incubation period of the virus.

The cruise ship, owned by Holland America Line, has already been denied entry to Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan.

Westerdam will head to Thailand on February 13.