Govt sends letter of protest to Israel

The government has submitted a letter of protest to Israel, requesting that no more Thai workers be sent to high-risk areas following a recent rocket attack that killed four Thai workers and injured one.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also advised Thai citizens to postpone non-essential travel to Israel and other affected areas in the Middle East at this time.
Foreign Affairs Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said on Saturday the ministry submitted the letter after receiving reports of the Thai workers’ deaths caused by a rocket fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon, which landed near the city of Metula in Israel on Friday.
As a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Thailand is urging all parties to return to a path of peace, he added. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also coordinated with the Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv to reduce the number of Thai workers entering Israel for employment.
The protest letter follows reports of some Israeli employers still bringing Thai workers to high-risk workplaces on short-term contracts, with some workers staying in these areas for just 2-3 hours.
“It’s fully understandable that some of us have gone overseas to work for a better life,” said Mr Maris. “But the current situation in parts of the Middle East is highly unusual, with a significant level of violence in the ongoing conflict.”
The four workers killed in the rocket attack were identified as Akkapon Wannasai from Udon Thani, Prayat Pilasram from Buri Ram, and Kaweesak Papanang and Thana Tichantuek, both from Nakhon Ratchasima.
Thana, 31, from Sikhiu district in Nakhon Ratchasima, had been working as a fruit picker near the Israeli-Lebanese border for 11 months before his death.
His father, Charnchai Tichantuek, is mourning his loss, while his mother, Jarung Tichantuek, said Thana had planned to return to Thailand in a month. She had urged him not to work in Israel, but he was determined, saying, “We could die anywhere.”
Meanwhile, the family home of Kaweesak, 37, in Lam Thamenchai district, has become a centre of grief after receiving confirmation of the man’s death from the Thai embassy in Israel. His wife, Sumali Pimsri, 40, said his body is expected to arrive in Thailand within a week.
In Buri Ram, Sulaporn Rungruang, Prayat’s sister, urged the government to expedite the repatriation of his body and pay compensation, as Prayat was the family’s primary breadwinner. Prayat, 42, a native of Krasang district, had returned to Israel to fulfil the remaining part of his employment contract after spending two months in Thailand.
Amnat Khemphet, a representative of the Buri Ram Labour Office, said authorities, including police at Lamduan station, will coordinate with Israeli officials to process compensation requests and secure additional benefits for Prayat’s family.