A 36-year-old worker who secured safe passage from Israel is making an impassioned plea for the government to help locate the body of his twin brother killed during Hamas' terrorist attack on the Gaza Strip.
The body of Settha Homson is pending identity verification in Israel, according to his twin brother, Jetsada Homson.
Mr Jetsada on Wednesday visited the provincial labour centre to file for a refund of the air ticket he bought to secure his return flight to Thailand before travelling onward to his home province of Nakhon Phanom.
He went to Israel to work in 2019 and Settha arrived six months later. Mr Jetsada said he found a job in the central region, which is less affected by ongoing trouble than most other areas. Settha, on the other hand, landed a job in the south of Israel adjacent to the Gaza Strip.
Settha was among those held hostage by Hamas on the day it attacked Israel and it was not until later that Mr Jetsada said he learned of his brother's capture.
Settha's employer notified him that his brother had died after having his throat slashed by his captors on Oct 18. However, the body has not been identified by the Israeli authorities.
There are protocols to follow such as the locating and identifying of the body, which must be transferred back to the country for a proper funeral. This needs government-level assistance, according to Mr Jetsada.
"I will never go back to work there. I still cannot believe my brother is dead.
"My wish now is that the government finds a way to bring his body back home as soon as possible."
In Kalasin, Wilai Thepmueanphrai, 40, also recently returned from Israel, recalled the moment he arrived in Thailand, saying he felt like he had been given a new life.
Living just seven kilometres from Gaza, he said he was still haunted by the endless sound of sirens going off and missiles intercepting Hamas rockets.
He and four other Thai workers were left to look after themselves. They took cover on their own while their employer fled to safety, said Mr Wilai.
When the shelling had eased, he called the Thai embassy in Tel Aviv and sought help while still hiding in an underground bunker. He and the other workers remained there for 15 days before Israeli authorities rescued them, he said.
"All I could do to keep my spirits high was to pray and think of my parents," said Mr Wilai, who earned 50,000 baht a month over the past four years working on a five-year contract.
Despite the ordeal he has been through, he still hopes to go back to Israel again one day.
Elsewhere, Chatchai Ueamklang was receiving treatment at a hospital in Non Sung district of Nakhon Ratchasima, while Suphon Sirasai was at a hospital in Surin, after they were both flown home from Israel on Monday. Both worked in northern Israel.
