POVERTY BACK HOME FORCES THAI WORKERS TO RISK THEIR LIVES ABROAD
Despite possible dangers in Israel, a Thai worker who wishes to be known as Nick for fear of repercussions on his job, has chosen to stay on and continue working there.
The 33-year-old father-of-two works eight to 10 hours a day at a farm near the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, earning between 45,000 and 70,000 baht a month – compared to less than 100,000 baht in a year from farming in Thailand.
The new job is a rare opportunity for him to transform his life.
“I had never earned so much money from farming,” Nick told CNA.
Over the past month, he has grown used to harvesting chilies and bell peppers amid airstrikes. Sometimes, he would see rockets explode in the sky. Yet, he believes the area where he works is “still safe” and as a result, there is no need to go home.
What is more important is his family in Roi Et, northeastern Thailand. Nick said his overseas stint only began in March this year and if he returns home, a poor man like him would not be able to find a job that pays 70,000 baht a month.
“I want my family to be comfortable and pay off all the debts. I want life to be better,” he added.
In Khon Kaen, Ms Boonyarin continues to wait for more news about her missing daughter, Yo.
Four years ago, debt and poverty made Yo decide to leave home and her two young children for a career opportunity in Israel, where she worked in a potato packaging plant not too far from the Gaza Strip.