

The family of a Thai farm worker held for over a year in Gaza wept with relief as he was freed in a hostage-prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas. Five Thais were freed along with three Israelis held by Hamas as part of a ceasefire deal aimed at ending the Gaza war. When Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, 31 Thais were abducted, with 23 released by the end of that year and two confirmed dead in May. "It is confirmed, everyone, my son did not die. Thank you, God," Wiwwaeo Sriaoun said as she received confirmation that her son, Watchara Sriaoun, was among those freed. "I will hug him when I see him. I want to see if his health is OK. I am worried about his health," she added between sobs. "Thank you, thank you, God, he did not die. We trust in God." Around 10 family members had gathered to support Wiwwaeo as she waited for news at the modest house on the family rubber farm in the northeastern Udon Thani region. Watchara was among the six Thai hostages still held in Gaza, but when the detainee exchange was announced on Wednesday, there was no detail on which of the six Thais would be freed. Hailing from the poor, rural Udon Thani, Watchara moved to Israel three years ago to work as a farmer for better wages. Before her son's release was confirmed, Wiwwaeo spent the day watching news channels on a tablet computer, hoping for good news. "Come, come home back to your father, mother, and daughter," she said as she watched. "My friend called around 10 pm and said the ambassador told her five Thais would be released, and my friend said my son could be one," Wiwwaeo, looking exhausted but exhilarated, said. "I could not sleep from then until now. I was up until 3 am, and my husband and I went out for rubber tapping, and since then I have been monitoring the news." Watchara's younger brother, who was also working in Israel, returned to Thailand after Watchara was kidnapped. "We told him to come back because we were worried," his mother said. Watchara's aunt, Ratana Sriaoun, said earlier that the family would not believe he was safe until they had official confirmation. "Brothers and sisters at home are very happy and excited, but we have been disappointed many times," she said. Thailand has about 30,000 citizens in Israel, most of them working in the agricultural sector, where they earn significantly higher salaries as farm labourers than they would at home.
A total of 46 Thai workers have been killed since the October 2023 attacks, according to the foreign ministry in Bangkok. Thailand's Ministry of Labour said last week that the country would expand its workforce in Israel by 13,000 positions. — AFP
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