Embassy in Poland ready with plans to evacuate Thai people in Ukraine
The Thai Embassy in Warsaw, which also oversees Ukraine, has said it is making appropriate preparations to evacuate some 250 Thais living in Ukraine as and when necessary.
The embassy in Poland said it has set up a special Line group to communicate and prepare to move them either back to Thailand or travel to safe houses in Poland.
The embassy said it has been in regular communication with the Thai people in Ukraine, offering the timeline of its efforts.
On February 13, the embassy together with the Department of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, issued a warning to Thai people to avoid travelling to Ukraine unless necessary during this period due to tensions on Ukraine's border and asked Thai people in Ukraine to closely monitor the situation.
Chettaphan Maksamphan, Thailand’s ambassador in Warsaw, and embassy staff travelled to the Ukrainian city of Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, around 70 kilometres from the border with Poland, from February 13-15. They explored and set up facilities to use the city of Lviv as a base for evacuating Thai people back to Thailand, the embassy said.
The team met with the manager of Lviv International Airport, discussing the route from Lviv to Warsaw and explored hotels, restaurants, Covid-19 testing centres, etc, the embassy said.
On February 22, the Department of Consular Affairs issued a notification warning Thai people about the tensions on Ukraine's border, asking them to avoid travelling to Ukraine because the current tensions have widened to Donetsk and Luhansk.
On February 23, the embassy had long-distance meetings with representatives of Thai restaurant workers in various cities of Ukraine to inquire about their livelihood and listen to the problems or concerns of the Thai community in Ukraine.