More peril awaits Thai workers in Israel

The Middle East crisis will continue unabated. Thai workers, especially in Israel, will not be safe. The latest casualties of Thai workers near the city of Metula once again demonstrated how cheap their lives could be. The Thais would be willing to take the risk in return for some incentives. And many of them have paid the price.

The Thai government has urged all parties involved in the ongoing conflicts to make peace. Bangkok has repeatedly done so since last October. But it was a futile appeal, the government knew.

It is about time the Thai government, especially Ministry of Labor, took the lives of Thai overseas workers seriously. For the time being, the concerned authorities have failed to protect Thai workers' safety.

Lots of lessons should have been learned from the Gaza crisis and the decades of Thai working in Israel.

First of all, the Thai government must ensure that Thai workers in Israel understand the real situation there. The estimated 30,000 Thais in Israel have been attracted by higher wage even though they must risk their lives. Other preferred places are South Korea and Taiwan.

Secondly, these Thai workers must receive serious orientation of working in Israel and the consequences. In the Philippines, Manila provides language lessons and societal knowledge of the Middle East.

For those who choose to go to Israel, knowing some basic Hebrew is a prerequisite. Going abroad, Thai workers only have their bodies and labor to spare. Most of them do not speak English.

Thirdly, Thailand and Israel must continue to negotiate to improve the working conditions for Thai workers. Truth be told, as long as the Thai workers continue to choose this location, casualties will happen any day.

Therefore, the Thai government must demand the highest standard for Thai worker’s safety and working conditions from the Israeli employees, who in many cases could be exploitative.

It is no longer useful just to say that Israeli employers love Thai workers because they are hardworking and skillful. A lot more safety measures could be initiated.

Fourthly, the Thai embassy in Israel must be well-equipped to cope with the growing number of Thai workers. More staffs are needed. The Paetongtarn government must make that the top priority.

Each year, these workers remit billions of baht back to help their families have better lives.

As the Middle East crisis drags on, Thailand must fine-tune its foreign policy in ways all conflicting parties would respect the Thai workers in the crossfire. After all, we have good ties with both sides.

Too many Thais have sacrificed their lives as they want to have better lives for their families and communities. The government cannot escape responsibility.