Thai And Filipino Workers Filling Labor Gap In Israel Get Caught Up In War Between Israel And Hamas

BANGKOK  — On Thursday, the initial cohort of Thai laborers evacuated from Israel after the violent incidents in Gaza and southern Israel over the past few days arrived in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. Anxious family members and high-ranking officials awaited their arrival.

Hundreds of Israelis were murdered on Saturday by Hamas militants who breached a border fence and set fire to their homes, neighborhoods, and an outdoor music festival. In retaliation, the Israeli military has initiated massive bombardment and made readiness for a potential ground incursion. At least 2,600 lives have been lost on both sides of the conflict; some Southeast Asian laborers residing in Israel have been among them.

Two of the forty-one Thais who returned home on an El Al commercial flight were wounded men compelled to depart the aircraft in wheelchairs due to the violence.

In developed nations where semi-skilled labor is in limited supply, Thai agricultural laborers seek employment significantly higher wages than those they can earn at home.

Tens of thousands of foreign workers from the Philippines and Thailand, among others, transfer their wages back to Thailand to support their families. This money also stimulates the finances of their home countries.

However, the recent inclusion of Thai and Filipino nationals on lists of deceased, wounded, and missing serves as a poignant reminder that the lives of foreign employees are in imminent danger.

Thai And Filipino Workers Filling Labor Gap In Israel Get Caught Up In War Between Israel And Hamas.

According to the Thai Foreign Ministry, approximately 30,000 Thais are employed in Israel, of which 5,000 reside in the southern region near the Gaza Strip.

Katchakorn Pudtason, one of them, stated that his employer at the farm where he worked initially escorted all employees into a shelter during the attacks on Saturday. However, once they exited the bunker for lunch, they continued to hear gunfire.

Katchakorn stated that as they were being driven back to their employment, he heard additional gunfire and felt an object strike his knee.

“At first, I mistook it for a boulder, but it managed to pass through. As a result, he collided with the vehicle and instructed the driver to depart. He further stated that four vehicle individuals were injured that particular day. Two of the returnees required the use of a wheelchair, including him.

Upon the arrival of the evacuees, the labor, defense, and foreign affairs Cabinet ministers of Thailand were present at Bangkok’s international airport. The government has pledged to ensure evacuees’ physical and mental health.

Officials are working around the clock to facilitate the 5,990 Thais who have registered to be evacuated, according to Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara.

“To eliminate the greatest number of individuals possible, we need a Plan B,” stated Defence Minister Suthin Klangsaeng. “People will be evacuated from the high-risk area to a third country, such as the United Arab Emirates, using military aircraft.”

When compiling lists of non-Israeli nationals impacted by the violence, the number of Thais implicated stood out. On Thursday, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that 21 Thais are presumed deceased and 14 injured. It was estimated that sixteen individuals had been captured as hostages.

Thai And Filipino Workers Filling Labor Gap In Israel Get Caught Up In War Between Israel And Hamas.

In 2019, Chatree Chasri departed from his residence in northeastern Thailand to seek employment as an agricultural laborer in Israel. His objective was to settle outstanding obligations and support his wife and two children in Nakhon Phanom. It is common for Thais from economically disadvantaged rural regions, particularly the northeast, to seek employment overseas.

The 38-year-old has cultivated tomatoes and cauliflower in the southern Israeli community of Mivtahim, less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Israel’s border with Gaza, under a government-to-government agreement for the past four years.

He told The Associated Press over the phone from Israel on Saturday that his life at the farm had been going well until Saturday, notwithstanding the intermittent shelling and missile assaults that forced him to seek shelter. He now declares that he wishes to return home and never again visit Israel.

Chatree sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the hip in the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ rocket assaults and surprise ground offensive into southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of individuals and the capture of over a hundred who were returned to Gaza in captivity.

Suddenly, while using the lavatory on the farm with other foreign laborers, Chatree heard gunfire.

“As the sounds grew closer, bullets passed through the toilet wall,” he recalled, evoking the instant he was struck. Subsequently, he observed two gunmen enter the living accommodations of the workers and open fire, prompting them to seek refuge outside.

Thai expatriate Vibhavadi Vannachai, who has spent nearly two decades in Israel and is collaborating with Israeli authorities to assist Thai employees, is concerned that the number of casualties may increase.

Thai And Filipino Workers Filling Labor Gap In Israel Get Caught Up In War Between Israel And Hamas.

Vibhavadi, a native of Nong Bua Lamphu’s northeastern province, is an interpreter at a legal office whose cases primarily concern resolving conflicts between Thai employees and their employers.

She stated that exploitation and violations of their rights are prevalent, with many being obligated to long-term contracts but having their wages deceived. Many individuals who refuse to work lengthy hours are subjected to physical abuse. “Some individuals are required to reside in quarters unfit for human habitation,” she stated.

Vibhavadi assisted in locating temporary housing for Chatree and Padoong Bootmo, a 26-year-old Thai laborer who was fatally shot on Saturday and whose Yesha potato and yam farm was twice ransacked by assailants before being destroyed by fire, via temporary accommodations. Padoong stated during a telephone interview that he had been able to send home 1,100 baht (40,000 baht) per month. Although he might earn less than half that under ideal conditions performing the same duties in Thailand, he has stated that he no longer wishes to remain in Israel.

The assassination of at least two Filipino foreign employees in Israel highlighted the dangers these workers encountered.

Approximately 30,000 Filipinos reside and work in the country, the Foreign Ministry of the Philippines estimates, with many providing care for the elderly, the ailing, and those with physical disabilities. The enormous quantity of money they send back home—$36.14 billion in the previous year—has been instrumental in sustaining the country’s fragile economy.

According to the Philippines Embassy in Israel, one of the two Filipinos slain on Saturday was a carer who was shot alongside her employer inside their home by Hamas gunmen. Uncertain circumstances surround the death of the other.

At least three Filipinos are still missing, according to embassy representatives.

Despite this, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Eduardo de Vega stated on Wednesday that no Filipino has requested repatriation from Israel.

In a Wednesday telephone interview with The Associated Press, Jeremiah Supan, a 34-year-old Filipino carer in Israel, stated that he informed Philippine officials that he had no intention of returning home. He transfers his earnings as the primary provider for his family, allowing his 10-year-old son to continue his education and support other dependents.

Supan stated, “The rocket firings continue.” “However, all that assistance I send to my family back home will be lost if I depart.”

SOURCE – (AP)