32 flights ready to evacuate some 5,700 Thais from Israel within Oct: Srettha
The government has readied 32 flights to bring back some 5,700 Thai workers from Israel within October, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Sunday.
The premier was speaking to reporters after chairing a meeting with the Rapid Response Centre at the Foreign Ministry. The centre was set up after Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack against Israel last Saturday.
Srettha said the meeting focused on efforts to evacuate Thai workers, and it resolved that the 32 flights should be enough to fly 5,700 Thais back from Israel before the end of this month. However, this would still not be enough to bring back the 7,500 Thai workers who have registered to return.
The 32 flights prepared include those of Nok Air, Thai AirAsia and India’s SpiceJet.
The centre expects the number of Thai workers wishing to return home to increase, Srettha added.
Some of the flights will be non-stop from Tel Aviv to Bangkok, while others will transit through Dubai, Jordan or Cyprus, the premier said.
Srettha added that the centre was informed of the main obstacles to evacuating workers, including moving them from risky areas to safe houses where they can wait for their turn to leave and the inadequate number of flights.
Srettha said the centre had considered using an Airbus A380 plane, which has two floors and can fly up to 500 passengers each time. However, Thai Airways officials have warned that the A380 has been parked unused for a long time and would require maintenance before it can fly.
Hence, the centre has tasked all relevant government agencies to try and find more flights for evacuation.
“I affirm that state agencies are trying to use all channels to boost the number of flights to bring all Thais back within this month,” Sretha said.
The prime minister said evacuations can only be done by air, as Israel has closed all its ports.
He added that the Thai embassy in Tel Aviv was racing against time to try and bring some 400 Thais to the prepared shelter. Srettha added that the Thai government has been using all diplomatic channels, intelligence agencies, military contacts as well as connections with non-governmental organisations to secure the release of the 17 Thai hostages.
The Thai Foreign Ministry has also been negotiating with both Palestine and Israel to seek the release of the 17 Thais as soon as possible.
Srettha added that his government is still in the dark about when Hamas militants would free the Thai hostages.
He added that Hamas is not targeting Thais in particular as they had taken other nationals hostage too. He added that Thailand would not change its non-partisan stance when it comes to Middle East conflicts.
