Many Thai workers in Middle East choose to stay on despite escalating conflict
Many Thai workers in the Middle East said they do not want to return to Thailand despite the escalating conflict involving Iran and a US-Israel military coalition, with Thai residents posting updates on social media.
Thai people living and working in the region, particularly in Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), shared photos and videos of themselves running to bunkers during air strikes on their social media accounts and in Facebook groups for Thai communities in each country.
Some workers said their employers gave them time off for safety, while others said they continued working as normal.
A former Thai photographer in Israel, identified only as Ton, posted videos showing him and colleagues running to a bunker amid loud gunfire and explosions. In his latest video, shared last night, March 2, he showed people sitting inside a bunker at about 9.10pm.
Another Thai worker, 30 year old Ubon Namsaen, shared a video showing him and colleagues walking from their work sites and accommodation to take shelter in a bunker. He and others also left a message to the Thai Prime Minister and the government urging preparations to evacuate them, saying they wanted to return home.
However, even as some Thai workers said they wanted to return to Thailand for safety, others told The Reporters news agency that they did not want to go back and intended to continue working, citing large debts.
A Thai engineer, Chalermchai Rinnasarn, who works in Rehvot city in Israel, told media he has about 40 Thai colleagues. Chalermchai said there were more than 30 warnings yesterday, March 1, which led their employer to halt operations at every work site. He added that operations resumed as usual from this morning, March 2.
Chalermchai also said most of his colleagues did not want to return to Thailand yet, explaining they had taken out loans to relocate for work in Israel.
The secretary-general of the Labour Ministry, Wannapong Kotcharak, told Channel 7 that about 90% of Thai workers in Middle Eastern countries confirmed their safety.
Wannapong said there are about 70,000 to 80,000 legal Thai workers in Middle Eastern countries, with around 58,000 in Israel and 12,000 in the UAE.
The Thai government warned Thai nationals not to enter risk areas, particularly in Tel Aviv and Haifa. A previously scheduled plan to send more Thai workers to affected countries was halted.
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