Thai workers in Israel held hostage

[reader]

From The Nation

A Thai worker in Mishmeret, an agricultural community in central Israel may have been injured, while a Thai couple is being detained by Palestinian militants, according to Thai Foreign Ministry's initial reports

Currently, there are about 5,000 Thai nationals residing in the area near the Gaza Strip.

The Thai embassy in Israel reported that on Saturday, at around 6.30am local time (10.30am Thailand time), missiles rained on Israel, from the border with the Gaza Strip to the central part of the country, including Tel Aviv, neighbouring cities, and Netivot. The embassy has disseminated videos instructing Thai nationals in Israel on what to do when emergency warning signals are fired.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Foreign Minister Panpree Phathithanukorn have told the embassy to take care of Thai nationals and closely monitor the situation.

Israel has declared an emergency within an 80-kilometre radius of the Gaza Strip, including Tel Aviv, and has opened public bomb shelters in various cities. The Ministry of Tourism of Israel has issued warnings to tourists.

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said the ministry would closely monitor the situation and give regular updates.

==========================

The Royal Thai Air Force chief held an urgent meeting with senior officers on Sunday to prepare for the evacuation of Thai workers stranded in Israel after the Hamas attack on Saturday.

Air Force chief ACM Phanphakdee Phatthanakul led the meeting at the Air Force Operations with other senior commanders from other RTAF to discuss the evacuation.

At the end of the meeting, the RTAF chief ordered that five C-130 military transport planes and one Airbus 340 passenger plane be placed on standby to evacuate Thai workers once Israel opens its airspace.

============================

Deputy National Police chief Pol General Surachate Hakparn has stepped up security at the Israeli embassy in Bangkok following the Hamas attack on Saturday.

Surachate, who oversees security affairs, said he has instructed police to deploy frequent patrol cars to check security around the embassy.

He said both the Metropolitan Police Bureau and the Special Branch Police have been instructed to jointly tighten security around other embassies and residences of concerned diplomats, as well as their places of worship.

Surchate said he has also instructed the Immigration Bureau to tighten the screening of countries engaged in conflicts in the Middle East.

 

[floridarob]

And @vinapu is thinking, I'd off the guy with no shirt.....

[unicorn]

I feel a song coming on...

 

 

[vinapu]

2 hours ago, floridarob said:

And @vinapu is thinking, I'd off the guy with no shirt.....

no, that's no kidding matter

[floridarob]

38 minutes ago, vinapu said:

no, that's no kidding matter

it's not...but doesn't change our thoughts.

[Londoner]

Sad to see innocent victims. I can understand Thais willing to travel across the globe for work but Israel? Really? They are exploited foreign workers brought into replace the indigenous population whom the Zionists expelled and who had previously been cheap labour.

I was visiting Palestine for thirteen years and am continuously amazed by Western ignorance...a wilful ignorance because Biden, Blinken and so on know exactly what sort of violent, racist Occupation is being imposed on the indigenous inhabitants. All based on Biblical legends from 3000BC. They know: and they ignore.

Anyway, I really don't wish to get involved in this discussion because I have friends whom I love and who, at this very moment , are in danger from deranged settlers. 

"I and the public know what all schoolchildren learn;

Those to whom evil is done do evil in return."   (WH Auden)

 

[reader]

From Bbc

Twelve Thais have been killed and another 11 kidnapped by Palestinian Hamas militants who launched a mass assault from Gaza on Israel.

Another eight Thai nationals have been injured in the violence since Saturday, said Thailand's foreign ministry.

It said air force planes were on standby to fly its citizens home. 

There are some 30,000 Thais in Israel working in agriculture, many near the Gaza border. Nepal said 10 of its citizens had been killed.

[reader]

From Thai PBS Workd

The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) will send two planes to Israel this Sunday to fly 220 Thai evacuees back to Thailand, followed by a third flight next Wednesday to pick up more evacuees, Deputy Foreign Minister Jakkaphong Sangmanee told MPs in the parliament today (Thursday).

The first batch of 15 Thais arrived this morning on an El Al flight, to be followed by a second group of 26 evacuees on the same day, said Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, adding that the number of Thais wanting to come home has increased to over 6,000 while 16 Thais are now being held hostage by Hamas.

He said that the government has been trying to arrange for more flights to pick up Thai evacuees in Tel Aviv, but added that, if flights can be arranged in Israel, more evacuees will be able to fly home quickly.

[faranglaw]

On 10/8/2023 at 1:49 PM, floridarob said:

it's not...but doesn't change our thoughts.

And mature people filter their thoughts. If I expressed every thought that comes into my head you would think I’m a psychopath. So…filter.

[faranglaw]

On 10/8/2023 at 1:10 PM, vinapu said:

no, that's no kidding matter

Thanks Vinapu!

[Mavica]

On 10/9/2023 at 5:36 AM, Londoner said:

Anyway, I really don't wish to get involved in this discussion ...

Yet you've chosen to do just that.  

[reader]

From The Nation

The number of Thais who lost their lives in the Hamas attack on Israel has risen to 21 after another Thai worker was reported to have been killed, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Thursday.

He said his government was attempting to evacuate Thai nationals out of Israel but it was a difficult task while the armed conflict was raging on.

“The maritime route has to pass Gaza, which is too dangerous to use. Another route involves the use of cars towards Jordan. I confirm that the government is doing its best to take care of Thais there and help them as quickly and safely as possible,” Srettha said.

About 7,000 Thais living in Israel, mostly workers hired to work in farms, have reportedly requested their evacuation to Thailand.

[floridarob]

15 hours ago, faranglaw said:

And mature people filter their thoughts. If I expressed every thought that comes into my head you would think I’m a psychopath. So…filter.

It's what's referred to as "being woke" these days.....I'm from the Don Rickles sense of humor days, say it.....without really meaning it..... 

If you want to filter, a gay sex for pay site might not be the best place for you..... think about that you self claimed  psychopath 😉

[reader]

From Thai PBS World

Four more Thais are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attacks in Israel last week, bringing the death toll to 28, with 17 still being held hostage and 16 injured, including some who have already been flown back to Thailand.

Labour Permanent Secretary Pairoj Chotikasathien said today (Sunday) that he has received a report, from the Thai labour attaché in Tel Aviv, that four more Thais are reported to have died, but this is yet to be verified by Israeli authorities.

Of the 7,540 Thais who have applied to return home, 94 have changed their minds and chosen to stay on to work in Israel. Altogether 187 Thai evacuees, including some injured, have been flown back to Thailand to date, with the latest group of 90 arriving early this morning.

Pairoj said that Thais, who are members of the Labour Ministry’s fund to assist Thais working overseas, will each receive 15,000 baht in welfare if they return to Thailand before the expiry of their employment contracts due to war. Those who are disabled will receive an additional 30,000 baht each and 40,000 baht for the funeral expenses of those who have died.

Additionally, according to the employment insurance law in Israel, workers who are 10%-19% injured or disabled, with doctor’s certification, will receive a lump sum of about 1.4 million baht. If they are over 20% injured, disabled or die, their spouses and children will receive monthly compensation of 34,560 baht for the spouses and 5,760-11,520 baht for their children until the death of the disabled worker.

[Mavica]

Seems as if the purveyors of Thai news have forgotten about the Thai hostages that have been released by Hamas.

[unicorn]

37 minutes ago, Mavica said:

Seems as if the purveyors of Thai news have forgotten about the Thai hostages that have been released by Hamas.

Dude, you're resurrecting a 6 week-old post.

[Mavica]

14 hours ago, unicorn said:

Dude, you're resurrecting a 6 week-old post.

Obviously, you haven't noticed that discussion threads as old as 5 years old are still being commented on, in this particular forum .... and on others.  Have nothing to add?  Fine.  Then just move-on.

[PeterRS]

Our thoughts for now are obviously on the Thai workers, especially those prisoners of Hamas terrorists.

But how much thought did we give to the 30,000 Indian, Bangladeshi, Nepalese and Filipino workers who suffered horribly for years in the camps when building the stadia for last year's Soccer World Cup in Qatar? In February 2021, The Guardian newspaper wrote that 6,500 migrant workers were killed while working on the sites. And still Qatar has not provided proper compensation to those who were paid a pittance for their work.

As Adam Smith wrote, mobility of labour was one of the essential elements of capitalism that would enable nations to become richer. I doubt if he included moving overseas to work in that theory, but the fact is that today vast numbers of people work overseas because they can make better wages and save more than in their home countries. Approx. 2 million Filipinos work overseas. It is estimated that if they withdrew their labour, the hospital systems in several countries would be close to collapse.

Over 6 million Turks have emigrated and work outside Turkey. 113,186 Thais work legally overseas and remitted an estmiated 299 billion baht back home during the last two years. But the total number of those working illegally elsewhere, especially in Asian countries, is far higher. As Kritaya Archavanitkul a professor at Mahidol University stated at a seminar a few years ago -

“The problems of deception, tricking people to work as forced labour or in the sex industry are more prominent. Every year, an increasing number of people are becoming victims of such crimes, while there are still no concrete measures to protect or support Thai workers in other countries,” she said. 

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40026706

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/30334588#