Woman says Hamas abducted her husband

A photo shows Kong Saelao, 26, being abducted by Palestinian militants during an attack on Israel on Oct 7. The photo, taken from a video clip, is being widely circulated online. (Photo supplied by Mr Kong's friend)
A photo shows Kong Saelao, 26, being abducted by Palestinian militants during an attack on Israel on Oct 7. The photo, taken from a video clip, is being widely circulated online. (Photo supplied by Mr Kong's friend)

A woman in Chiang Rai has asked authorities to help find her husband who was abducted in Israel during an attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct 7.

Her appeal follows a video showing the kidnapping.

Suntree Saelee, 28, a Hmong villager from Ban Kio Kan in tambon Rim Khong of Chiang Khong district, said she lost contact with her husband, 26-year-old Kong Saelao, during the attack.

Ms Suntree said her husband's co-worker told her that Hamas militants on Oct 7 raided a worker's camp in an avocado orchard in Khirbet Mador, about 3 kilometres from the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory.

She said her husband's co-worker managed to escape, but Mr Kong and three other Thais remained in the camp. Later, the co-worker showed pictures and a video clip of Mr Kong in a headlock, being dragged away by a group of men in military uniform, she said.

The pictures showed he was struggling to breathe, she noted.

"When I saw the picture and the clip, I knew it was him," Ms Suntree said in tears. "I am concerned for his safety. Please help him."

She said Mr Kong worked at the avocado farm for 11 months, earning about 50,000 baht per month. She said he was planning to save money to build a new home and buy a car for his family.

He is the only breadwinner in the family, she said, adding he spoke to her every day via an online platform.

She said that on the morning of Oct 7, he told her that a fight had broken out and he heard gunfire and explosions.

The call ended and she lost contact with him about 11.30am, she said.

Vocabulary

  • abduct: to take somebody away illegally, especially using force - ลักพาตัว
  • appeal: an urgent request for people to do something or behave in a particular way - การร้องขอ
  • authority (noun): a person or government agency who has the power to make decisions or enforce the law - เจ้าหน้าที่ผู้มีอำนาจ
  • avocado: a tropical fruit with hard, dark green skin, soft, light green flesh and a large seed inside. Avocados are not sweet and are sometimes eaten at the beginning of a meal - ผลอะโวคาโด, ผลไม้คล้ายผลแพร์, ผลแพร์จรเข้
  • camp: a place where athletes (boxers, footballers, etc.) train, or workers live - ค่าย
  • co-worker: a person that somebody works with, doing the same kind of job - ผู้ร่วมงาน
  • headlock: holding a person's head with your arms to prevent movement -
  • kidnapping (noun): the crime of taking somebody away illegally and keeping them as a prisoner, especially in order to get money or something else for returning them; abduction - การลักพาตัว
  • managed to (verb): in the end, did do something, but it was difficult and seemed not possible -
  • orchard: an area of land where fruit trees are grown - สวนหรือแปลงผลไม้
  • territory: an area of land controlled by a particular country, leader or army - อาณาบริเวณ  อาณาเขตประเทศ
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