Labour minister: Bodies to be returned to Thailand once identification complete
The bodies of Thai workers killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict will start being sent back in a week once the identification process is complete, Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Tuesday.
Phiphat added that the government can do nothing about the bodies of the 29 Thai workers confirmed killed in Israel right now because it must wait for Israeli authorities to complete the identification process first.
“I believe in a week, some of the identified bodies will be sent back,” Phiphat said.
As for evacuating Thais from Israel, he said more than 7,5000 have registered with the Thai embassy in Tel Aviv and the embassy has been coordinating with them.
He said arrangements have been made for two to three flights daily to bring back 200 to 300 Thais and the Labour Ministry has mobilised officials in Tel Aviv to facilitate the evacuations.
Phiphat said the Thai government now has one plane from Thai Airways International, one from the Royal Thai Air Force, two from AirAsia and two for NokAir to use for evacuations.
He said the planes may not be enough to shift all 7,500 workers within this month, though the government will evaluate the situation as it unfolds.
He said if the war escalates to the inner areas of Israel, efforts to evacuate Thai workers would be sped up.
On reports that some Thai workers were being forced by their employers to continue working in the fields despite the ongoing war, Phiphat said Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has instructed the Thai embassy to coordinate with Israel to tell the employers to stop such practices.
