Thai tragedy in Israel a wake-up call to tackle stark inequality in society

The high number of Thai migrants who were killed in the brutal attack on Israel by Hamas militants also happens to be a reflection of the stark inequality in Thai society that is forcing poor people to make risky choices.

As of October 15, 28 Thai workers were reported dead, 16 were injured, and 17 were assumed to have been taken hostage. It was the highest death toll among foreign nationals who were killed in the brutal raid by Hamas gunmen on October 7 that caught Israel completely off guard.
Around 30,000 Thai migrants are employed in Israel’s agricultural sector, 5,000 of them close to the border with the Palestinian Gaza strip, according to the Labour Ministry.

Lae Dilokvidhyarat, an associate professor at Chulalongkorn University, says the tragedy of Thai workers in Israel throws light on the serious issue of income inequality in Thai society and the wide gulf in development…