Ms. Trinuch Thienthong, Minister of Labour, addressed the situation of rising tensions in the Middle East, stating that she has instructed Pol. Lt. Col. Wannapong Kotcharak, Permanent Secretary of Labour, is to establish a war room to monitor the situation and coordinate assistance for Thai workers in the region. The war room, located on the 5th floor of the Ministry of Labour, will operate 24 hours a day and be ready to provide support should the situation escalate to the point of evacuation.
The Minister of Labour stated that evacuation is the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and if directed by the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Labour stands ready to support the mission. All actions will depend on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ assessment of the level of risk and whether evacuation is necessary. At present, labour offices have been instructed to closely monitor the situation and be prepared to assist and relocate Thai workers to safe areas if they are affected. Regarding the deployment of Thai workers overseas, Ms. Trinuch stated that initial discussions have been held with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on temporarily suspending the deployment of Thai workers to high-risk areas in the Middle East. The Permanent Secretary of Labour has reported that both sides have agreed to suspend such deployments, with formal discussions to follow.
Ms. Trinuch added that there are currently Thai workers under the responsibility of three labour offices as follows:
- Labour Office in Tel Aviv, Israel: 58,921 persons
- Labour Office in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: 11,227 persons
- Labour Office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (covering the region): 7,347 persons.
- Total: 77,495 persons.
Pol. Lt. Col. Wannapong Kotcharak, Permanent Secretary of Labour, stated that he will conduct video conferences with Labour Counsellors from all three offices to assess and monitor the situation, and to ensure close coordination with Thai workers in the area. Emphasis has been placed on ensuring that all workers can maintain direct telephone contact with embassy officials, as well as on implementing proactive measures to enable Thai workers to access immediate emergency assistance in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
