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‘Not acceptable’ for Israel to use money to retain Thai workers, PM Srettha Thavisin says
- The Israel embassy in Bangkok admits monetary incentives were used to entice Thai workers to stay on, but denies their salaries were deferred
- About 30,000 Thais work in Israel, mostly as agricultural labourers, and some say they have to remain as they still need to pay off debts
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Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has called on Thais working in war-hit Israel to return home, amid accusations that the Middle Eastern nation is dangling more money to make them stay put as safety concerns mount ahead of a planned ground invasion of Gaza.
Srettha acknowledged many of the workers were choosing to remain in Israel for economic reasons, but that it was “unacceptable” for the country’s employers to offer increased wages or delay payment of salaries to entice them to hang on.
Srettha said he had expressed his displeasure over the matter in a meeting with Israel’s ambassador to Thailand, Orna Sagiv, on Monday.
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“I strongly conveyed it’s not acceptable that money is used by employers to lure them. I think it’s not right,” he said.
The envoy initially said she was not aware of the issue and would look into it. The Israeli embassy in Bangkok admitted that additional monetary incentives were used to retain Thai workers but denied their salaries were deferred.
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