Bangkok Post – Thai worker’s body stuck in Israel as scared co-workers also stay put Thai News — Thailandtv.news

The family of a Thai worker killed in an apple orchard in Israel continued to wait desperately for the repatriation of his body while his Thai co-workers said they were frightened by the death, but forced to remain there for financial reasons.

The family of Nisant Meeram, 42, said they were saddened and worried as they had not been informed of the return of his body from northern Israel.

Phrueksa Meeram, 43, said at her house in Ban Kalong village of tambon Kantrarom in Krasang district on Sunday that she tried to ask about the return of her late husband’s body from his colleagues, but they told her that they bad been evacuated to a safer place and his body might be sent elsewhere for autopsy.

Ms Phrueksa said that her family was shocked by the death of its breadwinner and she had two children aged 18 and 12 with her.

According to her, Nisant had gone to work in Israel in December 2020 because the family had debts of more than 1 million baht in total related to their vehicles and agricultural equipment.

After the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October last year, he returned to Thailand. About seven months later, his Israeli employer called him to resume his fruit-picking work there to fulfil his employment contract of five years and three months.

He went to Israel again in June – despite opposition from family members – due to the family’s financial pressures.

Ms Phrueksa said she called and sent messages to her husband every day because she was worried about his safety. Her last call to him was made at about 10am on Friday (6am in Israel).

Her subsequent messages to him were not answered and finally one of his co-workers informed her of his death. The Thai embassy in Tel Aviv told her that a bomb already in the apple orchard where Nisant worked exploded on Saturday morning.

Another Thai workmate who identified himself only as M said via a video call on Sunday that they were among 24 Thai workers in the apple orchard and just before the explosion, four rows of Thai workers were picking up apples. Nisant was the second in the row and M was the fourth in the same row.

When workers heard an explosion, they ducked and later a worker shouted that Nisant was hit and killed, M said.

Soldiers took Nisant’s body from the orchard and no other Thai workers saw the body again, M said.

He said that after the incident, all the remaining Thai workers there were seriously concerned about their safety but did not want to return to Thailand right away because they bore the financial burden of their families.