28 Thais killed in Israel as govt promises to have 7,000 workers evacuated by Nov
The number of Thai workers killed in the Israel conflict has risen to 28, Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Sunday as he vowed to evacuate all 7,000 Thai workers who want to return within next month.
Justice Minister Thawee Sodsong joined Phiphat in expressing condolences to the families of the 28 killed workers. Both ministers were at SC Hotel in Bangkok, speaking to the third batch of 90 workers brought back to the country.
Phiphat told the group that another 137 workers would arrive on a chartered flight early on Monday, while some others would return on their own in commercial flights.
Meanwhile, he said, workers who bought their own tickets to return to Thailand should present their boarding passes to Labour officials to reclaim their travel expenses from the state.
He said that so far, more than 7,000 Thai nationals have registered with the Thai embassy in Tel Aviv to return, but only some 200 can be flown back at a time currently.
The government has arranged chartered flights with Nok Air, AirAsia and Thai Airways to bring people back. Nok Air will provide one plane, AirAsia two and THAI one, while the Royal Thai Air Force will send another plane.
However, he said, many Thais are not able to leave Israel because they have lost their passports while fleeing or taking shelter from the battle.
Phiphat said the Foreign Ministry has prepared 8,000 emergency passports for Thais stranded there. He also said that the Labour Ministry will dispatch five officials who used to work in Israel along with another 10 from the Foreign Ministry to make travel documents for the Thai workers.
He said these preparations would also double the evacuation rate to 400 daily within the next three or four days, Phiphat added.
“So, I believe all 7,000 registered Thais will have arrived in Thailand by next month,” Phiphat said.
He told the workers that the government would try to help those who have not completed their contracts to return to work in Israel if they want. Meanwhile, he said, the government will also try to find new jobs for those who no longer want to work in the Middle East.
As for compensation from Israel, Phiphat said the wives of slain Thai workers will receive 35,000 baht monthly until they marry again, while the child of a slain worker will receive 11,000 baht per month until he or she is 18 years old.
Israel will also provide 15,000 baht in compensation to each injured worker and 40,000 baht to the family of each worker killed. An additional 40,000 baht will be provided for funeral expenses.
As for workers who have already landed on Thai soil, he said those who are not able to return to their hometowns yet will be provided accommodation in Bangkok. Paetongtarn Shinwatra, deputy chair of the national soft power strategic panel, will be put in charge of this task, he said.
