The Ministry of Labour has expressed condolences over the Thai worker who was killed by an explosion in northern Israel. It is checking with the Population and Immigration Authority (Piba) to find out why Thai labourers were allowed to work in a closed military zone.
The death of Nisan Meerum, 42, a native of Buri Ram province, was reported by Israeli authorities and the Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv on Saturday morning. Nisan was killed by an explosion of leftover ammunition while working in an apple orchard in northern Israel.
Labour Ministry permanent secretary, Bunsong Tapchaiyut, said Thai authorities are waiting for his identity to be verified by Israeli authorities before his body is sent back to Thailand for religious rites.
The government will ensure his family gets the benefits they are entitled to receive, he said.
Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said the ministry also extended its deepest condolences to the families of those who have died in Israel.
The ministry is meanwhile trying to verify with Piba whether the site where the incident occurred was located in a closed military zone and why Thai workers were allowed to enter, he said.
The ministry is also waiting for a report of the incident from the Israeli government, he said.
Nisan's wife, Phrueksa Meeram, 43, said her husband first left to work in Israel in December 2020. He returned in October last year after the Israel-Hamas war broke out, she said.
About seven months later, his Israeli employer called asking him to resume his fruit-picking work there to fulfil his employment contract of five years and three months, she said.
Nisan: Died near Lebanese border
He went to Israel again in June -- despite opposition from family members -- due to the family's financial pressures, she said.
Ms Phrueksa said she called and sent messages to her husband every day because she was worried about his safety. Her last call to him was made about 10am on Friday local time.
Her subsequent messages to him were not answered, and finally one of his co-workers informed her of his death. The Thai embassy in Tel Aviv told her that a bomb already in the apple orchard where Nisan worked exploded on Saturday morning.
A Thai workmate who identified himself only as M told the media via a video call yesterday that he was among 24 Thai workers in the apple orchard. Just before the explosion, four rows of Thai workers were picking up apples. Nisan was the second in the row and M was the fourth, M said.
When the workers heard an explosion, they ducked and later a worker shouted that Nisan had been killed, M said, adding soldiers took Nisan's body from the orchard and no other Thai workers saw him again.
On Saturday, the Israeli Defence Forces declared five new closed military zones in northern Israel, near the Lebanon border, said the Thai Embassy. They include Zarit, Shomera, Shtula, Netuya, Even Menachem, Rosh, Hanikra, Shlomi, Hanita, Adamit, Arab al-Aramshe, Metula, Misgav Am, Kfar Giladi, Dovev, Tziv'on and Malkia.