The Thais caught up in the Israel-Gaza war

Weerapon” Golf” Lapchan sits in the middle of a group of Thai mothers as they chant and tie light threads around his forearms. The village is situated close to the Mekong River.

After his narrow escape on October 7 during the Hamas attack on Israel, they are literally calling his” kwan” or spirit back to his body.

The 34-year-old is one of more than 25,000 Thais who were employed in Israel’s fields and trees when Hamas militants stormed on from Gaza. Among the 200 or but foreigners who were killed in the attack were at least 30 Thais.

Thousands of people are currently being assisted by the Thai authorities to gain back.

Nearly all of the international farm labor in Israel is provided by Thailand. Additionally, there have been instructions that if many Thais decide to avoid the country after the Hamas strike, it could have disastrous effects on the agricultural economy of the nation. Many Vietnamese employees had to borrow money in order to travel to Israel, and as a result, they are now unemployed and in debt upon their return.

However, some golfers never want to return.

When Golf and his coworkers witnessed missiles being fired and later intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system on the morning of October 7, he claims they were certainly overly concerned.

Golf had spent almost a year working at an orange orchard in Yesha, which is only 5 kilometers( three miles ) from the Gaza border. He had previously witnessed missiles flying overhead.

But, when they heard gunshots, they realized it was more severe and spent the majority of the day hiding. According to Golf, the Hamas intruders came back in the evening, hurling bombs and lighting their hiding places on fire. He and 11 other people made a getaway. They fired at us from behind as we leaped over the roof. There is a loud eruption.

He claims that when he dashed to the center of the garden, his only clothing was a pair of dark boxer shorts. In order to prevent the intruders from seeing the light, he and the others knelt down and turned off their devices.

He claims,” We were all stunned and kept calm the entire night, so silent that we could hear the leaves falling.”

On October 13, a government-organized removal journey brought golf up to Thailand. He has made up his mind that he will not return, no matter what is offered to him. That morning, he claims, death was only a few hours away. They have all made the decision to never again experience that.

Hamas are thought to have kidnapped at least 19 Thai personnel, and many more are also missing.

Since the dawn of the invasion, Narissara Chanthasang hasn’t heard anything from her spouse Nattapong in another town to the north. He had called her to inform her that there had been a firing and that he was fleeing.

In June of last year, he left her and his six-year-old brother to work on an olive and fruit farm in the Nir Oz community, not far from where Golf was employed.

One of the areas most severely impacted by the invasion was Nir Oz. The insurgents are thought to have killed or abducted one in four of the locals, including some children.

Nattapong may have been kidnapped, but he is not on the government’s record of Vietnamese captives, which is Narissara only hope.

In search of employment, people have often left north-eastern Thailand.

The country’s primarily rural area is one of the poorest, with wheat cultivation providing only a meager subsistence living and few well-paying jobs. In Israel, more than 80 % of Thai staff are from the north-east. In the 1980s, they began traveling to Israel, and in 2011, a deal between the two administrations formalized the agreement.

It has not been without debate. In the past, labor organizations and human rights organizations have complained about the Thais being overworked in unsafe circumstances.

Individuals told the BBC that they must pay up to 120, 000 ringgit, including additional costs and illegal obligations, in addition to the standard charges of about 70,000 and$ 100, respectively, to travel to Israel. However, they even claim that their income is seven to eight times higher than Thailand’s. Some people praised their Jewish employers for taking good care of them and paying them on occasion.

According to archaeologist Poonnatree Jiaviriyaboonya of Nakhon Phanom University,” Part it’s about improving their cultural position.” ” Those who returned from working abroad receive more respect.” They appear to be more knowledgeable and liberal. However, in reality, they are also underprivileged migrant workers and poor corn farmers who have received government neglect. In order to prevent people from having to leave their families and travel abroad, we need to change our plans for developing this area.

Those who returned shortly are concerned about the bills they have accumulated. They typically work in Israel for at least five years in order to pay off what they owe, and they borrow cash against their property or their home.

Last month, Golf’s younger sister secured a product for him to travel. To increase the 200, 000 ringgit required to send Nattapong to Israel, Narissara’s family mortgaged her grain fields.

Anusorn Kamang, a 25-year-old whose family even mortgaged her property for him to travel to Israel, is thinking about this.

Before taking out more loans for his journey home, he endured a terrifying several days of nonstop rocket attacks at the organic vegetable farm where his job was located.

Although the Thai government has pledged to cover that expense, his mother also owes money, and he is considering returning once the battle is over.

” My boss treated me well, and I made a lot of money in Israel.” Working these didn’t help me achieve anything. It’s sufficient for meals, but nothing more. A property and a car are what I want. I don’t still have any of that.