- Hamas Warning
- Negotiations in Qatar and Iran
- Diplomatic Triumph
Lerpong Sayed stated that Hamas perceived his negotiating team to be “Thai Muslims” as opposed to legislators. Thais are the largest foreign worker group in Israel, and Hamas kidnapped several of them on October 7.
The rapid release of seventeen Thai nationals, the largest group of foreign nationals held by Hamas in Gaza and the maximum number killed in Israel, is regarded as a diplomatic achievement.
Thai officials have been diligently engaged in clandestine efforts to secure the release of their citizens while attending conferences in Qatar and Iran.
At the Heart of Thai Negotiating Team
Lerpong Sayed, a Thai Muslim who stated in an exclusive broadcast interview that Hamas was justified in seizing hostages, is at the center of the Thai negotiating team.
In recent weeks, Dr. Sayed has divided his time between Iran, where he met with Hamas five times, and his native country.
“We travelled there as ordinary citizens, not politicians, to negotiate.” Hamas observed this. They perceived us as Thai Muslims,” he revealed in an interview that offers insight into his high-level discussions.
“They assured that Thais in the first group would be liberated in the event of a ceasefire.”
Thais were among the first nationalities to be liberated, compared to twenty other ethnic groups.
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On behalf of the Thai House Speaker, Wan Muhammad Noor Matha, and the Shia Muslim leader in Thailand, Syed Sulaiman Hussaini, Dr. Sayed is a member of a small team of three individuals.
A substantial Muslim minority has coexisted with Thailand’s 70 million Buddhist majority in a predominantly peaceful manner.
In Israel on Tuesday, the Thai foreign minister met with the first Hamas hostages released by a peace accord. The hostages were liberated last week.
Thursday marks the scheduled departure of the hostages to Thailand.
The majority emigrated to Israel for agricultural labor. On October 7, when Hamas launched its assault, a significant number of individuals were employed in border plantations. Before the outbreak of conflict, 30,000 Thai laborers were employed in Israel, primarily in the agricultural industry.
Iran’s Significance in the Release Process
According to Dr. Sayed, while the Thai government’s negotiations with the Qataris played a role in facilitating the release of Thai nationals, he is convinced that Thailand’s longstanding relationship with Iran was more significant.
I want to extend my gratitude to the Iranian people and government for their assistance in negotiating with Hamas.
Qatar-Egypt mediation was the key to captive release, according to some commentators.
Iran has claimed to have facilitated the release, whereas Hamas attributes it to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s initiatives.
For his part, Dr. Sayed is confident that the Thai detainees have been treated with respect.
He says they told their relatives “they were provided with shelter, clothing, food, and water, as well as emotional support.”
The negotiator maintains that Hamas did not impose any restrictions on the hostages’ speech or actions and refutes the notion that the group, which is depicted in progressively elaborate videos waiving at the hostages, is staging the hostage releases for show.
He also controversially asserts that Hamas had good reason to seize the hostages.
Citing the thousands of Palestinians incarcerated in Israeli prisons and decades of what he perceives as Israeli occupation and maltreatment, he asserts that it was “to aid the Palestinians.”
He believes Hamas will release the remaining Thais in Gaza based on his interactions with them. The Thai government reports that fifteen individuals are still being detained in Gaza.
Foreboding Warning from Hamas
However, he claimed that Hamas had issued him a foreboding admonition to the Thai people and government: “Since it is wartime and the border region is contested territory, Hamas will consider anyone working there to be an agent of the outlaws.”
They will be extremely upsetting to the numerous Thais who are currently contemplating a return and rely heavily on the substantial additional income they earn in Israel.
