Subject: Request from Pattani Province Health Office to Prince of Songkla University Pattani Campus to Provide Dormitory 7 as a Detention House for Students Returning from Pakistan and Having Home in Pattani  

Dear Lecturers, Staff and Students
         According to the report that 237 students having home in the southern border provinces have returned from Pakistan and arrived in Thailand on 28 March 2020 and 61 among those students have home in Pattani Province, Prince of Songkla University Pattani campus were urgently contacted by Pattani Province Health Office on 29 Mach 2020 at 19.30 hrs., seeking for a place to detain those 61 students who have home in Pattani Province. I, then, had to make a hasty decision, but based on urgency, necessary and risk of the university and communities in Pattani Province and finally agreed to provide the Dormitory 7 for Pattani Province Health Office to detain those returning students for 14 days before letting them return home. During the detention, staff from Pattani Public Health Office will impose the strict measures and regulations introduced by the Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health to those detainees.
         From my decision, I can feel the anxiety of the PSU Pattani community, particularly the issue, how the strict implementation of detention measures will not affect the daily life of people in Pattani Campus during the detention. I, then, would like to take this opportunity to explain this contentious issue in the beginning and afterwards, I will keep everyone updated on the current situation.  
         1.  The Dormitory 7 assigned as a detention house has been closed for 1 semester to revamp the whole building after being hit and damaged by a severe windstorm. Currently, 59 rooms, out of 77 are usable and 48 restrooms are available. Additionally, students in nearby dormitories have already been home as the University have cancelled classes and examinations due to the breakout of Covid-19.  
         2. Staff from the Student Dormitory Unit cleaned the building and prepared rooms for those students who must be detained before returning home. The Dormitory Unit also marked a clear location of the detention house before transferring the custody of the area to the staff from Pattani Province Health Office while the Chief Doctor of Pattani Province Health Office checked the readiness of the area.
         3. Staff from Pattani Province Health Office will set all necessary equipment to facilitate their stay and prepare all meals for the students. The effective methods of garbage management will be brought in and wastes from the dormitory will be taken out from the campus. Additionally, Pattani Province Office will provide staff to guard the entry and exit of the dormitory during the detention from 30 March 2020 – 12 April 2020 and those students are obligated to stay in the Dormitory 7 only.
         4.  For the direction to take the students to the Dormitory 7, Pattani Province Health Office used the road passing the Security Booth No. 2, turned left and headed straight to the Dormitory 7. The Dormitory 7 is located at the end of the road with hefty gate and fence which can keep those uninvolved people away while keeping only those who need to look after the students.
         5. Those returning students have been screened step by step since leaving Pakistan and arriving at Suvarnabhumi airport, based on the measures to control diseases.  They have been last checked by Pattani Province Health Office before being loaded into the dormitory. The first lot of students arrived at the Dormitory 7, PSU Pattani on 30 March 2020 at 12.40 hrs. The rest of them will later move in and soon all 61 will reside in the dormitory.  
         I would like to share this actual information and explicate the process to provide the Dormitory 7 for the detention of those returning students so that you can clearly understand and quell your anxiety about the impact from this incident. I and my team pledge that we will handle this situation carefully and cooperate firmly with Pattani Province Health Office in order to bring safety to everyone.
         I also would like to take this opportunity to ask the PSU Pattani community to give moral support to those 61 students and their fretting parents as well as to those staff from Pattani Province Health Office who have been taking care of Pattani people and trying to control the spread of the Covid-19 so far. I also welcome all advice and inquiry about further information via my email: imjit.l@psu.ac.th.
           I am very thankful to you for your understanding.


Assoc. Prof. Imjit Lertpongsombat
                                                                Vice President of Pattani Campus                                                                                30 March 2020