Thailand is stepping up efforts to evacuate its nationals from the Middle East, with plans under way to move 125 Thai citizens out of Iran as tensions in the region continue to escalate.
The government has established the Middle East Situation Management and Monitoring Centre to closely monitor the ongoing conflict and coordinate assistance for Thai nationals affected both within the region and elsewhere. Authorities said there have so far been no reports of Thai citizens being injured or killed.
On Friday, Panidone Pachimsawat, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Information and Deputy Spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, delivered a situation briefing at Government House via the Middle East Situation Management and Monitoring Centre.
The centre was set up on the Prime Minister’s orders to centralise and streamline the management of assistance for Thai nationals affected by the conflict in Thailand and across the Middle East.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the situation in the Middle East remains fragile, with Israel, the United States and Iran continuing to carry out retaliatory attacks against one another. Reports of further strikes have continued to emerge, while the fighting has begun to spread to neighbouring countries.
In addition to Lebanon, reports indicated that Azerbaijan had come under air attack, leaving some civilians injured and damaging infrastructure.
The Azerbaijani government has since announced preparations for retaliation, raising further concerns about the potential for wider regional escalation.
Air travel across parts of the region has also been severely disrupted. Several countries remain closed to air traffic, including Iran, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Saudi Arabia, Oman and Jordan remain open, with Saudi Arabia and Oman in particular serving as key evacuation hubs for flights leaving the region.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated that there have been no reports of Thai nationals being injured or killed. It urged Thai citizens in high-risk areas to consider leaving as soon as possible and to register their details with the nearest embassy or consulate-general.
For Thai nationals in Iran, the number registered for evacuation has increased from 117 to 125. They are scheduled to depart by land in two groups: 69 people on March 7 and another 56 on March 10.
The first group is expected to arrive in Van, Türkiye, on March 7. Officials from the Department of Consular Affairs and the Royal Thai Embassy in Ankara will receive them and arrange accommodation and meals while they wait for flights back to Thailand, which are expected to depart within two to three days.
Beginning March 7, the Royal Thai Embassy in Ankara will also establish a temporary operations centre in Van to support the evacuation of Thai nationals leaving Iran.
The centre will also function as a temporary office for the Royal Thai Embassy in Tehran to assist Thai citizens who remain in the area.
In other countries across the region, Thai embassies and consulates-general have been working closely together to assist nationals affected by airspace closures, while expediting documentation procedures to facilitate their onward travel back to Thailand.
