On August 28, 2021, Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin visited to follow up on the Factory Sandbox project, observe vaccinations and encourage insured persons in the workplace at AW (Thailand) Co., Ltd., located at Kan Song Subdistrict, Sriracha District, Chonburi Province and Vanda Pack Co., Ltd., at Khlong Tamru Subdistrict, Mueang District, Chonburi Province. Assistant to the Labour Minister Mr. Surachai Chaitrakulthong, the Labour Minister’s Advisor Mrs. Thiwalrat Angkinan, the Labour Minister’s Secretariat Mr. Suthep Chitayawong, Pol.Maj.Gen. Nantachat Supamongkol from the Office of the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, performing duties for the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Labour’s Spokesperson (on politics) Mrs. Theanrat Nawamawat, Permanent Secretary of Labour Mr. Suthi Sukosol, Chonburi Provincial Governor Mr. Phakhathorn Thienchai, Deputy Provincial Governor of Chonburi Mr. Tawatchai Srithong, Province, Chairman of the Board of Ricoh Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd., Mr. Yukihiro Toriyama, Chairman of Vanda Pack Co., Ltd., Mr. Warawong Tangkitwet and the Ministry of Labour’s executives joined the occasion. Mr. Suchart said that the government under the leadership of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense General Prayuth Chan-ocha, and Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan has expressed concern and monitored the impact of the COVID-19 situation in terms of the economy and the people’s well-being. They have ordered all ministries to work together to solve urgent problems to achieve concrete, quick, and timely results.
Mr. Suchart said that as the Labour Minister, he had foreseen the importance of driving the economy and taking care of the workforces’ quality of life. The Factory Sandbox is aimed at large factories in the manufacturing sector, which are the key mechanisms that support the national economy. In Chonburi Province, 11 establishments are operating the Factory Sandbox project and 12,836 insured persons. The Ministry of Labour’s agencies in Chonburi, the Chonburi Public Health Office, and hospitals in the social security network have joined the establishment’s inspection and carried out RT–PCR tests. Today they provided vaccinations for insured persons participating in the project within the two companies, namely AW (Thailand) Co., Ltd., and Vanda Pack Co., Ltd.
After that, the Labour Minister and his delegation met with the Chonburi-Rayong Japanese Association (CRJA). The association thanked the government and the Ministry of Labour for expediting COVID-19 vaccinations to insured persons. This is to build confidence for investors in Thailand. In particular, Thailand has measures to take care of the company’s workers, including measures to control the spread of COVID-19 to build immunity among workers and enable the business sector to move forward.
“I would like to commend the management of AW (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and Vanda Pack Co., Ltd. for carrying out the company’s activities following the Sandbox Factory guidelines. The main objective of the project is to “inspect, maintain, control, and supervise,” that is, to operate in parallel between “public health” and “economics” to build employee immunity and confidence in driving the economy. This is to help the nation overcome this COVID-19 crisis together,” concluded Mr. Suchart.
The Factory Sandbox project aims to prevent and control the pandemic from spreading in factories in specific areas. The project is a cooperation between the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Interior, and the Ministry of Public Health. The heart of the operation is “inspection, maintain, control and supervision” for workers in factories in the key large export manufacturing sectors, which is a mechanism that supports the country’s economy. There are four sectors, namely automobiles, electronic components, food, and medical equipment, and it is targeted at large factories with 500 or more insured persons. The first phase of the Factory Sandbox project will be carried out in four provinces, including Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Sakhon, and Chonburi. Phase 2 will expand to Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Chachoengsao, and Samut Prakan provinces at the beginning of September 2021.
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Division of Public Relations
28 August 2021
