SAMUI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th April, 2020) Buddhist and Orthodox monks in Thailand have offered free meals to Russian tourists stranded there due to border closures and the temporary suspension of flights to their home country.
Earlier on Monday, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that the schedule for several repatriation flights would be available later in the evening. People having trouble repatriating will be able to receive government aid once they fill out a special form on the Gosuslugi website, a portal for state services. The prime minister vowed to do his utmost to repatriate Russians.
In total, there are about 20,000 Russians in the kingdom, according to estimates from the Russian Embassy in Thailand.
A Sputnik correspondent, accompanied by two Russian tourists stranded on the island of Samui, headed to a nearby temple to find out whether they could be sheltered there in case their hotel closed.
"All the temples are now closed, because it is banned to gather in groups of more than 10 people, there are almost no parishioners," one of the monks said.
When asked whether tourists could spend the night there should their hotel be closed, the monk suggested that they rent a house for a cheap price just a 10-minute walk from their hotel.
"If you have no money at all, you can come here and we can give you food. Are you hungry now?" the monk went on.
A few minutes later, the monk came out with a tray full of rice, fried fish, stewed vegetables with meat, juice, water, and sweets.
The Russian Orthodox Church's male monastic community in Ratchaburi province, too, expressed its readiness last week to help any tourist who was stranded in the country, offering them free shelter and food.
Orthodox priest Konstantin told Sputnik that they had indeed offered such help but local police arrived there on Saturday and banned them from doing so.
"We have switched to online mode. Services are being held and broadcast on Facebook. We are praying so that this ends soon and everyone is healthy and alive," he said.
He added that many people had since contacted them.
"Certainly, we help everyone. Sometimes the embassy sends [them] to us, we can help financially and some of them come to eat," Konstantin added.
According to the priest, the community always helps if a person complies with Thai law and immigration rules.
