Embracing the dawn of a new day on Thursday, a group of 41 Thai laborers were greeted with smiles and tears as they set foot on their homeland once more, having returned from Israel. The trip back home was a coordinated effort between individual arrangements and the assistance from Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with 15 workers benefitting from the latter. They landed at Suvarnabhumi airport, onboard the El Al flight LY083 at 11.22am.
Standing ready to welcome them were a cadre of high-ranking officials, including Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, Labour Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang, and Deputy Public Health Minister Santi Promphat.
For Katchakorn Pudtason, special arrangements had to be made due to his severe injuries. Pudtason, an agricultural worker, narrated his harrowing saga to the waiting press, in an edge-of-the-seat tale about his unlikely escape from a hailstorm of bullets fired by Hamas terrorists on the farm where he was employed.
Illustrating the scenes of his terrifying escape, he mentioned the need to bunker down at his employer’s house amidst the chaos before risking it all to dash back to the farm in a car. “Earlier that morning, bullets started raining. It was unlike any movie scene. The rounds kept coming as if they targeted us mercilessly,” he recounted the horror with a shudder.
In the crazed gunfire, Pudtason received a bullet wound in his knee. Four more of his comrades were injured in the attack, with one receiving a bullet in his cheek, he disclosed.
Upon landing, a bus whisked them from the airport to the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute for a mandatory health screening. At this stop, the Labour Ministry also had plans to disburse their rightful compensation before the workers headed back to their home provinces.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry’s latest report on Thursday revealed that this proxy war in the Middle East had claimed 16 Thai workers as hostages since its onset. An additional casualty was recorded, raising the grim death toll to 21, as informed by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.
Out of the mass 30,000 Thai workforce in Israel, up to 5,174 have signed up voluntarily for repatriation, Kanchana Patarachoke, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commented.
A standby arrangement is in place with the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) for the transport of more citizens back home, subject to the air passage clearance from various countries. The first evacuating operation is hoped to kick off on Sunday, aiding 220 Thai people, with more flights panned for Oct 24.
In addition, an allocation of 80 seats has been made available for the countrymen on commercial flights scheduled on the upcoming Wednesday. This was arranged by Kanchana Patarachoke.
Other significant players, including Thai Airways, Thai AirAsia, and Nok Air have also pledged their commitment to aid in the repatriation effort. This affirmation came directly from Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit.
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