THAILAND (TR) – On April 3, Japan’s ambassador to Thailand, Kazuya Nashida, tested positive for the novel coronavirus. He then began undergoing treatment at a hospital.
“Since the case was found,” Nishida, 60, later wrote in a letter to the chairman of the Centre of Economic Situation Administration, “the Embassy of Japan promptly contacted all those who were suspected to have had close contacts with me after 25th March.”
There was actually a bit more to it: On that night, he visited a nightclub in Bangkok where the companions can get very intimate with the customers.
According to The Nation Thailand (April 10), the venue in question is Krystal Club in Thong Lor. It is one of 24 establishments in the city that are believed to have been the source of 400 coronavirus clusters.
Nishida was accompanied to Krystal Club that night by eight Japanese and Thai nationals as a part of a work-related function.
On the night of March 29, he began suffering symptoms of COVID-19, including a temperature of 39.5 degrees Celsius and a sore throat. However, the symptoms later subsided.
On April 2, he found out that a companion from Krystal Club had tested positive for the coronavirus. He then underwent a test himself, which gave the positive result, the Mainichi Shimbun (April 8) reported.
Manager arrested
To this point, Thailand had suppressed the spread infections fairly well. However, outbreaks began in entertainment districts of Bangkok in late March.
Earlier this month, the managers of Krystal Club and Emerald Club, also in Thong Lor, were sentenced to two months in prison for keeping their establishments open beyond the time limit imposed by an emergency decree.
Authorities have also ordered pubs, bars and clubs connected with the latest outbreak to close for 14 days, according to the Bangkok Post (April 11).
“Likely infected at a nightclub”
The embassy did not immediately announce that Nishida visited a nightclub before he tested positive. It later did say that “a survey by the Ministry of Public Health revealed on April 7 that it was likely that he was infected at a nightclub.”
A local news reporter tells weekly tabloid Flash (April 27) that Krystal Club may appear to be just a nightclub, but the reality is quite different, with the provision of honban, or full sex, readily available.
“If you pay, the ladies are available to take home,” the source assures. “Plus, if you pay a little more, there’s a ‘secret room’ on the premises for some action.”
When contacted by Flash about Nishida’s visit to Crystal Club, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it had not “received any reports” about the nature of the club.
However, the ministry did concede, “It is undeniable that the infection prevention measures were inadequate, and we will strive [to implement adequate] prevention measures in the future.”
