8 Thai Hostages
In addition to the 40 Thai citizens killed in the October 7th Hamas massacre, 32 were taken hostage. Today, 8 still remain in captivity. After 95 days, no one knows if they are being held together or alone. Their health statuses and livelihoods are unknown.
Pongsak Thaenna
One of those hostages is 34-year-old Pongsak Thaenna. Pongsak, originally from Buri Ram Province in Thailand, has been working in Israel for just over 6 years. He came to Israel to work in the agricultural sector in order to be able to provide for his 15-year-old daughter.
Sathian Suwannakham
Another hostage is Sathian Suwannakham, aged 34. He was working in Kibbutz Nir Oz, alongside 8 other Thai workers. 4 of those workers were killed in the Hamas attack, while Sathain, with 4 other colleagues, were taken hostage. Of the 400 residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz, which sits less than 7 miles away from the Gaza border, over 180 people were murdered, severely injured or abducted on October 7th. The surviving residents have been displaced. Sathian’s mother saw a video on Facebook from the attack of Sathian being severely wounded by Hamas terrorists.
The other remaining Thai hostages are Tu Saelee, 38, Watchara Sriuan, 31, Natthaphong Pinta, 35, Sasiwan Pankong, age unknown, Sonthaya Akrasri, age unknown, and Surasak Lamnau, age unknown.
Thailand's low wages make overseas work a solution to provide for families, to build a house, to send money home, or to send their children to school. Before the war, over 30,000 Thai worked in Israel in the agricultural sector. Many, including freed hostages, hope to return.
23 Thai hostages who were taken hostage in Gaza were released during the week-long ceasefire in November when Thailand officials made a separate deal with Hamas, mediated by Qatar and Iran. After 2 days of medical observation in Israel, they were flown back to Bangkok to reunite with their families.
Wichan Themtong, aged 37, arrived in Israel on October 1st, 2023. He was about to start his 5 year placement within the Israeli agricultural sector, in order to send his wages home to his wife, mother, and two young children. 6 days after he arrived, the avocado farm he was staying in was attacked. First, he and his colleagues saw the rockets flying overhead, before they were approached by armed men in tactical military ware. At that moment, Wichain, so new to the country and a conflict so foreign to him, told his wife over the phone, “Don’t worry, I am safe, I see soldiers.” However, they were Hamas soldiers. In the chaos of the moment, several workers were killed, while others, including Whican, were kidnapped. Wichain was kept underground for almost 2 months.
The freed Thai hostages are unwilling to share detailed information of their time in captivity out of fear that it will damage the remaining 8 hostages’ chance of survival.