A couple from Pla Pak district in the northeastern border province believe that their son is among the captives taken by Hamas militants, as depicted in a photo shared on social media by an online news platform.
The image portrays six individuals with their hands tied behind them, held captive, with a militant pointing a gun towards them. It is believed that the captives are Thai and Filipino laborers from a construction site near the Israeli border.
The parents, Thawatchai and Thongkhoon Onkeaw, both aged 47, have identified one of the captives as their son, Natthaporn Onkeaw, often known as Tui, who is 26.
The Onkeaw family resides in Ban Nong Saeng, a settlement in Moo 5, within the Pla Pak district’s tambon Na Ma Khua.
They mentioned that in October 2021, Natthaporn traveled to Israel to work in a kibbutz after securing a job through the Labour Ministry’s Employment Department.
He spent roughly 60,000 baht for travel and paperwork. As per his five-year contract, he was promised a monthly wage of around 50,000 baht.
Mrs. Thongkhoon shared that they communicated daily with Natthaporn through Facebook after his work hours. However, they lost contact on Saturday following reports of the Hamas attack.
They couldn’t reach him or his Thai colleagues in the kibbutz either. Upon viewing the photo, they felt sure that Natthaporn was among those captured.
Mrs. Thongkhoon mentioned that their family consists of a son, Natthaporn, and a 12-year-old daughter. She added that Natthaporn had been the primary earner for the family, following in his father’s footsteps, who had also worked in Israel for many years.
