Bangkok, Feb 9 (IANS) – Thailand experienced a deeply emotional moment as five nationals, who had been held captive by Hamas for over a year, finally returned home and reunited with their families at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sunday, according to local media reports.
The returnees – Sathien Suwannakham from Nong Bua Lam Phu, Pongsak Thaenna from Buri Ram, Watchara Sriaoun from Udon Thani, Surasak Rumnao from Udon Thani, and Bannawat Saethao from Nan – were welcomed with tearful embraces, marking the end of a traumatic chapter in their lives. Dressed in winter jackets, they displayed visible relief and emotion as they hugged their loved ones.
Pongsak Thaenna, 35, was overwhelmed with tears as he embraced his 65-year-old father, Wilas. Expressing his gratitude to the Thai government, he said, “I am indescribably happy to come back home again. We are all deeply touched to be back in our birthplace… I don’t know what else to say, we are truly thankful.”
For Bannawat’s wife, 22-year-old Wichayada Sae-yang, the moment was one of immense relief. She had spent months praying for her husband’s safe return while caring for their three young children, aged one, four, and six, who constantly asked about their father’s whereabouts. “Every day, they asked when he would come home,” she shared.
Sathien Suwannakham’s 60-year-old mother, Nukan, had nearly lost hope of ever seeing her son again. “I visited as many shrines as possible, praying for his safety. I even consulted fortune tellers just to know if he was still alive,” she revealed. “Every time I thought of him, I cried. I feared my son might have already been killed and buried.”
The release of the Thai hostages comes amid ongoing diplomatic efforts following Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israeli border communities, in which at least 240 people, including both Israeli and foreign nationals, were abducted. Among them were 30 Thai laborers, making Thailand one of the most affected foreign nations. Additionally, 41 Thai nationals lost their lives in the attack.
The first group of Thai hostages was freed later that year, and negotiations continued to secure the release of those remaining. Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, who personally accompanied the returnees from Israel, described the reunion as profoundly moving. “To see them back in the arms of their families… this is what we worked for,” he said. “Two families told me they never expected to have this opportunity today.”
The minister acknowledged the psychological toll of the prolonged captivity and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to securing the release of the last remaining Thai hostage believed to still be in Hamas custody. Additionally, Thai authorities are coordinating efforts to repatriate the remains of two deceased Thai nationals.
Before the conflict, around 30,000 Thai laborers were employed in Israel’s agricultural sector, forming one of the largest migrant worker communities in the country. Since the war began, nearly 9,000 Thai workers have been repatriated, most of them from Thailand’s northeastern provinces, a region known for its farming economy and financial hardships.
As the freed hostages embraced their families, the emotional scenes at Suvarnabhumi Airport served as a powerful reminder of the human toll of global conflicts. For these five men and their loved ones, the long and painful wait has finally come to an end.
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