Some repatriated Thai workers are waiting to return to work in Israel once the conflict there has ceased, saying they still have large debts that need paying.
Thaworn: Earned B55,000 a month
One of them is Thaworn Aksornsue, 38, who recently returned to Thailand after seven months working on an Israeli farm where he earned about 55,000 baht per month. He sent over half of his pay packet back to his family in Khon Kaen province.
Mr Thaworn said he had worked in the Israeli town of Ofakim, with his employment being part of a state-to-state labour cooperation scheme between Thailand and Israel.
He said that Ofakim was only 25km from Gaza, and after the conflict broke out on Oct 7, he signed up for the repatriation programme offered by Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and returned home on Oct 16.
Using his savings and his relatives' money to pay the recruitment fees, Mr Thaworn said he is more than 500,000 baht in debt, which includes car instalments, household expenses and house renovation costs.
"The situation broke out unexpectedly, and I do not have an alternative income," Mr Thaworn said. "I might have to work on small gigs to earn enough to pay the expenses during my stay in Thailand. If I have the opportunity to return [to Israel], I will. Because I have many more debts."
He added that he wanted the Thai government to facilitate Thai workers to return to farm work in Israel once it is safe to do so.
His father, Anan Aksornsue, 65, said the family wanted Mr Thaworn to return to Thailand due to safety concerns. He said the family would have to start finding jobs instead of relying on Mr Thaworn's salary from Israel.
However, not every Thai worker in Israel has been able to return safely to Thailand, with many still missing amid the ongoing conflict.
At a house in tambon Khlong Lan Phatthana, Khlong Lan district of Kamphaeng Phet, the mother of a Thai worker in Israel is still waiting for her son to call.
Supin Yurong, 55, said she had last talked to her son, Manat Yurong, 34, on Oct 11, four days after Hamas launched their surprise terror attacks.
Mr Manat has been working on a tomato farm in Israel since late May, earning about 70,000 baht per month. Ms Yupin said he had expected to spend five years in Israel to save money before returning to Thailand.
During his last call, Mr Manat told his mother that the attacks were increasing near their location, and he was waiting to be evacuated to a shelter.
He claimed that his worker camp was 20km from where Hamas carried out their initial attacks, and Israeli airstrikes could be seen from the camp.
Ms Supin said she has not been able to contact her son since.
"I watch the news every day and see the names of Thai workers being repatriated, but my son's name is not on the list," she said.
"I have tried to contact the Labour Ministry and related parties. Even though they said they would look into the matter, none of them have gotten back to me."
