The Ministry of Labour’s Inspector-General and committee met with Thai workers in Israel and emphasized that workers listen to officers, for safety along the Gaza strip. The ministry is in preparation of a plan for the evacuation of workers, ready to coordinate and return to Thailand.
On June 11, 2019, the Ministry of Labour’s Inspector, Mr. Apinya Sucharitanan and a committee of departmental inspectors including the Department of Employment’s Inspector-General Mr. Suwan Duangta, the Department of Skill Development’s Inspector-General Mr. Chakrit Decha and the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare’s Inspector-General Mrs. Udomluk Sornsari traveled to the government of Israel to meet and discuss with the local safety coordinator of Eshkol in the south, adjacent to the Israel-Gaza border. The committee listened to a briefing on the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza area and measures to maintain security for Thai workers in an area of approximately 2,500 people. The Ministry of Labour’s Inspector-General expressed concern about the situation that Thai workers often did not follow the advice of the Israeli safety agency when there is unrest in the area and asked Israel to take full care of the safety of workers. The committee then met with 7 Thai workers in the agricultural technology transfer and research center and gave words of encouragement.
The committee then visited Thai workers at Moshav Ohad in the south, less than 10 kilometers away from the Israel-Gaza border with about 50 workers working in tomato gardens. The Ministry of Labour’s Inspector-General and committee expressed concern for working in areas with unrest and emphasized that Thai workers obey and strictly follow the recommendations of the Israeli safety agency and avoid involvement with vices, including drugs and gambling, and work hard to save money to return to families. The committee also gave words of encouragement to the Thai workers before returning.
Currently, there are 24,783 Thai workers working in Israel, of which 22,539 are working in the agricultural sector. There are 403 professional workers as chefs/cooks, welders, elderly caretakers, construction workers and others, and the remaining 1,841 workers are illegal workers. The plan to evacuate Thai workers in the event of a war or disaster has determined two meeting points for Thai workers to the southern area of Israel. The first is moving Thai workers from the Ashkelon area to Moshav Ramat Negev in the lower southern part of Israel, about 100 kilometers away from the border, which can support approximately 5,000 Thai workers, and the second point is moving Thai workers from Eshkol to Bnei Netsarim in the southernmost part of Israel, next to the Egyptian border about 20 kilometers away from the protest area, which can support 1,000 – 2,000 Thai workers. For Thai workers who wish to return, the Labour Department will coordinate with the airport that is open for service and return the worker to Thailand.
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Division of Public Relations/
News by Chaninthorn Phettab/
Photos by Bureau of International Cooperation/
12 June 2019/
