Coronavirus: Thai health minister warns citizens against 'dirty' Europeans

Thailand's health minister has ignited a controversy by warning about the possible spread of the coronavirus from vacationing Europeans "who wear dirty clothes and don't shower". Tweets posted on Thursday night by the account linked to the minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, lashed out at Western visitors for not wearing face masks to protect against the virus, and warned his fellow Thais that they should be more careful in dealing with Westerners than with Asians.

Thailand's government has come under criticism for confusing and inconsistent handling of the health crisis. A spokesman for Anutin's Bhumjai Thai Party confirmed that the Twitter account under the name 'anutin_c' was operated by the minister's team.

The tweets, along with the entire account, disappeared from Twitter by Friday afternoon. Anutin early last month castigated Westerners who would not accept protective face masks from him, suggesting they be kicked out of the country..