Labour minister orders tighter safety after Thai worker killed in Israel
The ministry has instructed Thai workers in Israel to remain in safe areas and follow official guidance, while embassy and labour officials expedite compensation procedures and the return of the deceased worker’s body to Thailand.
- A Thai agricultural worker, Chaiwat Waewnil, was killed by a cluster munition in Israel.
- In response, Thailand's Labour Minister ordered the labour attaché in Israel to ensure Thai workers remain in safe areas and strictly follow official instructions.
- The minister also directed agencies to coordinate the repatriation of the worker's body and to assist the family in receiving financial benefits from both Thai and Israeli sources.
Treenuch Thienthong, Minister of Labour, said on Thursday (March 19) after receiving a report from the Office of Labour Affairs at the Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel, that the embassy had received confirmation from the Israeli authorities that a Thai worker had been killed by a cluster munition.
The deceased was Chaiwat Waewnil, aged about 30, from Chaiyaphum province.
He died at 11.45pm on March 18.
She said she had instructed the labour attaché in Israel to look after Thai workers and to remind those still working there to remain in safe areas and strictly follow the authorities’ instructions following this incident.
She also ordered the Office of Labour Affairs at the Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv to urgently coordinate assistance closely with the embassy to facilitate follow-up on the deceased worker’s entitlements, including preparations to return the body to Thailand.
The Minister of Labour said checks found that the deceased had registered to travel for work through the Department of Employment on May 27, 2025.
He was an agricultural worker growing potatoes at Ozer Farm in the agricultural community of Adanim, about 12 kilometres from Herzliya.
Israel’s forensic authorities will conduct an autopsy, and the body will be returned to the family through the Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv within the next 3–5 days.
“I would like to express my condolences to the family for the loss of their loved one. I have now assigned the Chaiyaphum labour office and agencies under the Ministry of Labour in Chaiyaphum province to visit the family, offer encouragement, inform them of the benefits to which the heirs will be entitled, and help coordinate the power of attorney documents required to repatriate the body to Thailand in accordance with procedure,” Treenuch said.
Pol Lt Col Wannapong Kotcharak, Permanent Secretary of Labour, provided additional details on the benefits to which the deceased worker’s heirs will be entitled, saying that the Thai worker who died in this incident will receive the following:
In the event that a member of the fund to assist jobseekers going to work abroad dies overseas, the heirs-at-law are entitled to receive financial assistance of 40,000 baht from the fund.
If there are expenses for funeral arrangements abroad, actual costs of up to 40,000 baht will also be covered.
An old-age gratuity of 71,459.14 baht under the Social Security Fund, excluding other accrued returns.
Compensation from the Israeli insurance institution, which is a benefit provided by the Israeli side, includes bereavement compensation, assistance with burial expenses, monthly compensation, annual assistance, and other support, such as children’s education expenses and psychological assistance.
The amount received will depend on the consideration of the insurance institution and the exchange rate.
