31 Thais opt to stay in Ukraine, 8 stranded in conflict

31 Thais opt to stay in Ukraine, 8 stranded in conflict

Residents of Sievierodonetsk, Ukraine, take shelter in their basement during heavy shelling by Russian forces and Russia-backed separatists on Monday. One Thai is trapped in the city, unable to leave. (Photo: AFP)
Residents of Sievierodonetsk, Ukraine, take shelter in their basement during heavy shelling by Russian forces and Russia-backed separatists on Monday. One Thai is trapped in the city, unable to leave. (Photo: AFP)

Thirty-one Thais have shown their intention to stay in Ukraine, the Thai embassy in Poland said on Thursday, as diplomats tried to help eight others struggling to reach the shelter at Lviv set up by the Foreign Ministry.

The embassy said 31 Thais decided not to leave for personal reasons, mainly having a Ukrainian family.

The embassy said it was trying to help one Thai stranded in Severodonetsk city and seven in Mykolayiv city. They had been unable to reach the assistance centre in Lviv, in western Ukraine, because the trip was too dangerous.

Severodonetsk is 730 kilometres east of Kyiv, and Mykolayiv is by the Black Sea, about 500 kilometres to the south. Both are in border areas where invading Russian troops are advancing. 

There were 256 Thai nationals in the eastern European country when the invasion started. The Foreign Ministry has brought home 136 of them to date. Another 59 are waiting for flights to Bangkok in Romania and Poland and are expected to return on Friday.

The first two groups of evacuees arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport on Wednesday.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT