PUBLISHED : 13 Jan 2024 at 05:07
The Israeli embassy launched a tuk-tuk banner campaign on Friday calling for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and to mark the 100th day of their captivity, which falls on Sunday.
One hundred tuk-tuks, each bearing a banner with the faces, names and ages of various hostages along with a message in Thai and English that reads “Bring Them Home”, hit the streets on Friday from the Israeli embassy in Bangkok.
The motorised 3-wheelers with the banners will be seen on major streets around the city for three weeks.
Orna Sagiv, the Israeli ambassador, said the campaign aims to remind the public of those who remain captive in the Gaza Strip. The campaign is global, with different activities organised by Israeli embassies in various countries.
“Israel and Thailand have [had] a tight relationship for many years. Both of our peoples have been held hostage in this conflict. We are talking about 135 people, including eight Thai nationals.
“We want to ask every government, including Thailand, to help us [in] calling for their return,” Ms Sagiv said.
When asked whether the campaign would heap more pressure on the Thai government and if it could affect the safe return of the remaining Thai hostages, she said: “What Hamas has done had never happened before. What Israel is trying to do is to remind the world not to forget what has happened in the past 100 days.
“We need to remind ourselves every morning that we have to bring these people [the hostages] back home safe.
“I honestly do not know what we should do. There’s no guideline for that. But I know that the Thai government is also trying everything they can to better the situation.”
During the Loy Krathong festival in November, the embassy floated 165 bread krathong in the Israeli flag colours, and 15 krathong in the colours of the Thai flag, at Benchasiri Park to underscore the call for the immediate release of all of the hostages.
In December, Ambassador Sagiv, together with Israeli Consul Eli Eliyahu Sneh, visited the families of 11 Thai victims in Udon Thani to express her condolences.
She assured them the Israeli government would provide all of the necessary support for the affected families.
Some 121 hostages were released in November, including 23 Thai nationals. As of now, 39 Thais have lost their lives in the ongoing war.