Backchannel negotiations took place in Tehran last week, but no deal has yet been reached.
Muslim Thai officials have reported talks with Iran’s Hamas to secure the release of hostages held by Palestinian groups in Gaza.
Thai politician Arepen Uttarasinh said on Friday that he had “direct talks” with Iranian Hamas officials to discuss the issue. He reported that the meeting took place in the Iranian capital Tehran on October 26 and lasted two hours.
“I told them I was not here to negotiate, but just to ask for their release,” Alipen said, declining to name the Hamas officials he met.
Hamas officials told the lawmaker that the Thai prisoners were safe and well cared for. However, he did not agree on a release date for the prisoners, saying he was “waiting for the right time.”
At least 23 Thai nationals were among the more than 240 people abducted by Hamas when it carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7. At least 32 of the more than 1,405 people Israel said were killed in the attack were Thai.
Thai Prime Minister Sureta Thavisin spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and received assurances that Israel is committed to the release of all prisoners of war, including Thai nationals. Prime Minister Netanyahu also promised to ensure the care of all foreign nationals.
However, local media reports that the Thai government is planning a mass evacuation of its citizens from Israel this week due to concerns about the escalating situation there.
Israel ranks third in registered Thai migrant workers after South Korea and Taiwan, with approximately 30,000 Thai workers working in Israel, most of them in the agricultural sector.
Earlier, Thai Foreign Minister Panpuri Bahidda Nukara said Qatar, Iran and Egypt had agreed to forward Thailand’s request to Hamas for the immediate release of the hostages.
“We wanted Hamas to tell that because we’re worried that they don’t know that we’re just agricultural workers,” Paanpuri said at a press conference.
On the “Thai Workers in Israel” Facebook page, desperate relatives of prisoners of war have posted a list of their hometowns, some of the poorest in Thailand, such as Kalasin, Surin and Si Saket. Regions are also included.
Despite the risks, some Thais in the group also said they needed opportunity more than safety.One worker said, “I’ll be back.” [to Israel]No matter how bad the security situation gets.
Among the flood of comments, another post summed up the feelings of many Thai overseas workers: “Poverty is scarier.”
