Chefs and waiters at the 16 hotels hosting world leaders attending the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit have undergone the checks to
ensure they are not infected with typhoid or other parasites.
An opposition MP slammed the tests, saying he had received a complaint
from an executive at one of the hotels.
"It's over the top," Akapol Sorasuchart told Friday's The Nation
newspaper.
Health minister Sudarat Keyuraphan called for calm and defended the
ministry's checks.
"Let's not overreact. This is necessary and in line with international
practice to ensure that workers are free from digestive diseases," she said.
The workers themselves appear to have taken the measure in their stride.
"We have never had rectal swab tests before. This is the first time, but
we won't complain because we know this is a western standard," said a public
relations official from the Grand Hyatt Erawan, where the United States
delegation is staying.
Sompasong Saetang, a cook at the media canteen, also shrugged off the
tests.
"We know it is a security standard. It's good because we will know
whether anything is wrong with our health," she said.
The results were all normal, said Somsong Rugpao, the director-general of
the ministry's medical science department.
Thailand's top chefs are among those rustling up the kingdom's best
cuisine for political heavyweights attending the summit including US
President George W. Bush (news
- web
sites), his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao and Russia's Vladimir Putin
(news
- web
sites).
