Hundreds of Thai workers have made it back home safely from Israel and more than 8,000 more have registered for evacuation. Being back home for many of them is, however, only the beginning of a set of new challenges.
In interviews with Thai PBS World, many of those evacuated said they are relieved to be back in their home country. They also made it clear that, even when the situation calms down, they have no desire to go back to work in Israel.
“I’m not going back anymore. I mean, I would consider it, but I’m afraid the conflict might escalate again. I won’t survive if I go there again. The attacks were very close to where I was,” according to one Thai evacuee.
To travel to Israel, they explained that they needed to use their own money, under the Thailand-Israel Cooperation on the Placement of Workers (TIC), which is an agreement with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) sending Thais to work in the agricultural sector in Israel.
They said that most had to borrow money from their relatives or even take out private loans to be able to make the trip. Now that they are safely back home, a new anxiety awaits them. The biggest challenge for many is now how to repay their debts, considering that their good wages in Israel were their only source of income when and until the war broke out.
“We borrowed money either from the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives or people in our community. For me, the debts are still outstanding, totaling around 800,000 baht. Coming back this time, I am not feeling relieved at all, as there are still a lot of money to repay,” he added.
Another Thai evacuated from Israel explained to Thai PBS World that choosing between facing the debts and becoming a casualty in Israel, he would rather face debts in exchange for being alive.
“I’m afraid of both war and debt. Nevertheless, I believe that, if we survive the war, we will still have the opportunity to earn money and pay off our debts. I borrowed from a lender, so I am committed to repaying him,” another Thai working in Israel said in the interview.
Debts aside, some of the Thai evacuees are concerned over the compensation promised to them by the overseas employment administration office.
“They (Ministry of Labour staff) told us at the evacuation centre that there would be 15,000 baht waiting for us when we arrived in Thailand but, when we made it back here, we were told that to get the money we will have to do the paperwork ourselves,” he said.
On a brighter note, Chokchai Boonyapong, from Nong Bua Lamphu province, who was migrant worker in Israel until 2015, has applied the skills and farming knowledge he gained while working there to his own farms in Thailand. He now earns his good living by selling agricultural products through social media platforms. He has amassed 150,000 followers on YouTube and 200,000 followers on his Facebook page.
“We can use YouTube and Facebook pages to share our experiences with others and we can earn money through these platforms. When we have more followers, we can sell our farm products,” Chokchai explained.
Another former Thai labourer, Kongdech Boonsoong, from Yasothon province, worked in Israel for 5 years. He applied his knowledge of growing Barhi date palms to his own farms. He said what he gained from working in Israel was not just the money, but also the knowledge and experience, of which he has been making use to look after his family.
Having fled the life and death situation in Israel, the Ministry of Labour has pledged to support the evacuated workers with a series of assistance programs. These plans include finding new employment for them, providing skill training to facilitate occupational transitions, offering compensation and addressing unpaid wages
As of now, over 5,400 Thai workers have been evacuated from Israel. There are, however, many Thais who insist on still working in Israel, because of the high salary of 50,000-100,000 baht per month. The Thai government is, however, urging Thais working in Israel to leave, as the fighting is escalating, as are the casualties. This could well affect domestic transportation and the evacuation process.
by Warissara Sae-han
