Thailand, hostages held by Hamas…a “party” talks about its hidden role

Hamas released three Thai hostages from Gaza on Sunday, bringing to 17 the number of Thais released since the four-day truce began on Friday.

“We were the only party that talked to Hamas since the beginning of the war to ask for the release of the Thais,” Lerpong Saeed, head of the Thai-Iranian Alumni Association, told Reuters.

Lierpong was part of a group of Thai Muslims convened by Thai Parliament Speaker Wan Mohamed Noor Mata, who traveled to Tehran in October and held talks with Hamas representatives.

“If Thailand had relied solely on the Foreign Ministry or asked other countries for help, the chances of them being released together with the first group would have been very slim,” he said, adding that other countries with hostages such as the United States, Germany and France had more influence.

He added that the group informed Hamas during a 3-hour meeting that the Thais were not parties to the conflict and should be released, after which Hamas assured that the Thais would be released first and unconditionally once the ceasefire was reached .

The truce is the first in the fighting that erupted more than seven weeks ago after the Hamas attack that killed 1,200 people and took about 240 hostages in Gaza.

Before the war, around 30,000 Thai workers worked in Israel’s agricultural sector, making up one of the largest groups of migrant workers in the country.

Another member of the Thai group, veteran politician Aribin Uttarasin, said: “Our team went to the right place from the beginning, going to Iran and talking directly to Hamas.”

But a source close to the talks said the hostage deal was brokered by Qatar and Egypt as part of a negotiation process that began when the Thai foreign minister visited Qatar on October 31.

Iran also said it helped facilitate the release, while Hamas said the release occurred thanks to the efforts of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Monday: “Regarding the remaining 15 Thai hostages, the Royal Thai Government continues to make all efforts to safely release them as soon as possible.”

Asked about parallel efforts, Lierpong said: “My responsibility is to bring Thai people home, and if (other governments) want to have a say that’s fine. I think I’ve accomplished my mission.”