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Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on October 12 that the number of Thais killed in the Hamas-Israel conflict is among the highest in terms of nationality. Therefore, the government's urgent priority is to repatriate Thai citizens who want to return home.
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| The first group of Thai workers returning from Israel at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, October 12. Photo: VNA |
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said that currently, about 200 Thais can be evacuated each day and at this rate, it will take a month to repatriate all 6,000 Thai workers who wish to return home.
There are currently about 30,000 Thai citizens in Israel, mainly working in the agricultural sector.
Thailand's Transport Ministry said it has reached cooperation with at least three airlines - Thai Air Asia, Thai Airways International and Nok Air - to arrange repatriation flights within three days.
Meanwhile, Chief of Staff of the Thai Armed Forces, General Songwit Noonpakdi, has asked his Israeli counterpart to help gather and transport Thais to the Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv.
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) has scheduled a flight on October 15 to repatriate about 120 people from Israel in the morning and another 100 in the afternoon. The next repatriation flight scheduled by the RTAF will take place on October 18.
In a related development, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on October 12 that the country is speeding up plans to ensure the safe evacuation of citizens from Palestinian territory.
Ms. Retno said that Indonesia is coordinating with countries and international organizations, including the Red Cross, to soon implement a plan to bring citizens in the war zone back home safely. However, the solutions to evacuate citizens have not yet been implemented due to the actual situation.
According to Ms. Retno, there are 45 Indonesians in the Palestinian territories and 10 of them are in the Gaza Strip, which has been the main target of Israeli airstrikes. There are also 230 Indonesians participating in religious tourism activities in several locations in Israel. To ensure Indonesians return home safely, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry is preparing to evacuate their citizens through the countries closest to the Palestinian territories, namely Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt.
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