Foreign minister welcomes first group of Thai evacuees from Iran
Thailand’s foreign minister met the first group of Thai nationals evacuated from Iran at Suvarnabhumi International Airport yesterday, March 9, as the government continued assisting citizens affected by the situation in the Middle East and prepared further evacuations.
Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow welcomed the group on arrival at Suvarnabhumi Airport, where 29 Thai nationals landed at 3.02pm on Turkish Airlines flight TK 68 from Istanbul, Turkey.
He said the ministry, together with Thai embassies and consulates-general in the region and other government agencies, remained ready to support Thai nationals affected by the regional situation, and thanked everyone involved for their cooperation.
The second group of 23 Thai nationals, including adults and children, was due to travel from Iran via Turkey and arrive in Thailand today, March 10.
Sihasak credited staff at the Thai embassy in Tehran for supporting the evacuation, saying the journey was difficult and tiring, with the group travelling by car for more than 10 hours to reach a border checkpoint in Turkey before continuing their trip home.
He also thanked the Iranian government for its coordination and for providing security support during the return journey.
He said another group of about 75 Thai nationals was expected to leave Tehran today using the same route and process as the first group, reported CH7 News.
He added that the Prime Minister was urging Thai nationals to return from Iran, particularly families with children, although some, including students, had chosen to remain. The government recommended returning to Thailand to stay with relatives and monitor developments until conditions improved.
Thailand has also continued assisting Thai nationals elsewhere in the Middle East, he said, including securing seats on regular flights that have already helped more than 100 people leave.
He added that Bahrain, Qatar and Lebanon remained areas of concern, with some travellers routing through Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to fly out.
A representative of the returning Thai nationals thanked the foreign minister, the Thai embassy and Thai associations for their help. They said the trip was smooth but tiring, and added that air strikes were continuing in Iran, though daily activities, including shopping, remained possible.
In an earlier development, after the United States and Israel launched a joint operation against Iran on February 28, Thailand said it was preparing contingency plans to assist and evacuate Thai nationals from the Middle East if tensions escalated.
Latest Thailand News
Follow The Thaiger on Google News:
