As conflict spreads in Libya, authorities hope to evacuate affected Thai workers, staff and diplomats.
About 1,500 Thais will leave locations in Libya for Tunisia and eventual return to Thailand, the junta decided in an emergency meeting yesterday at the Foreign Ministry along with representatives from the Ministry of Labour, Thai Airways, and other parties.
“The meeting determined that the escalating tension between the two conflicting sides is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. The ministry will consider whether to close the Thai embassy if the situation gets worse,” Nutthavudh Potisaro, foreign deputy permanent secretary, told the Bangkok Post.
Evacuation from parts of Tripoli will commence by tomorrow, he added.
According to Nutthavudh, the Foreign Ministry is working with Tunisia to evacuate Thais to Jeba, located 150 kilometers from the Libyan border, before they return to Thailand. Doctors from the Royal Thai army will be sent to Tunisia to care for them.
Heightened concern about the security of migrant Thai workers comes after one died in a mortar strike in an Israeli city near the fighting in Gaza.
Thai workers in Israel have been advised to stop working – whether permanently or temporarily – and relocate, according to Jukr Boon-long, the top Thai diplomat in Tel Aviv.
Close to 100 Thai workers are in the process of being moved away from the high-risk areas, or returning back to Thailand.
An additional 3,500 Thais working beyond a 20-kilometer radius from the Gaza Strip can also be relocated upon request, Jukr said.
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