The World Health Organization (WHO) praised Thai government's efforts to help contain the spread of the deadly SARS virus in Thailand, which have helped the country remain relatively shielded from its neighbors.

Mark Salter, coordinator of clinical management for WHO, was quoted by the Businessday newspaper Friday as saying that the Thai government had done an exemplary job in containing the spread of the virus within the country.

Salter stressed that measures such as ones taken by Thailand were required by countries that are impacted by the SARS virus.

The Thai government has implemented stringent measures on air travel. For example, passengers suspected of having SARS are quarantined for 10 days.

As a result, SARS, which has so far killed more than 261 people and infected over 4,300 throughout the world, has left Thailand, one of the region's busiest hubs, relatively untouched. Thailand has so far reported only 8 cases of SARS with 2 deaths.

Salter also shrugged off the rumors that asked if there was a cover-up by the government to avoid damaging the tourism industry, which accounts for nearly 6 percent of the gross domestic product. He said he had no reasons to believe that Thailand was trying to hide the truth.

The WHO official said that there was no evidence to show that the country is hiding any of these figures, and in his view Thailand had done an excellent job in helping keep a tab on the spread of the virus.

(Xinhua News Agency April 25, 2003)