The police raid was carried out after receiving a complaint that the lights in the house were constantly on and the residents rarely left the house.
BANGKOK – Immigration police in Bangkok raided a house in the Rama 9 district and arrested 18 Vietnamese nationals who had been operating online gambling websites.
The raid was carried out after police received a complaint that the lights in the house were constantly on and the residents rarely left the house.
The investigation revealed on March 7, 2024, that the house was rented by a group of Vietnamese nationals who were working as administrators for an online gambling website. The website was operated by a Vietnamese national who was based in Vietnam.
The arrested suspects, 10 men and 8 women, were charged with organizing and promoting online gambling. They were also found to be in possession of 39 computers and other equipment used for the gambling operation.It was reported that Ms. Le Thi Kim Oanh, 20, was the head of the administrative team.
The police found clear evidence of computers, documents, and spreadsheets detailing the employees’ online gambling activities.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Ittipol Ittisarnronnachai, the Commissioner of Immigration Bureau, revealed that the suspects were working for a Vietnamese boss. They were paid a monthly salary of 20,000 baht and a commission for each customer they recruited. The house had been rented as a base for the illegal gambling operation since November 2023.
The house has two floors. The first floor is used for living and dining, while the second floor is used for sleeping. The living room is where the work is done. There are 10 computers set up in the living room, and there are employees sitting at the computers. CCTV footage shows that the 18 employees work in shifts around the clock.
A group of Vietnamese nationals who work as administrators rent a house in Bangkok for running online gambling websites.
Preliminary computer inspection results found documents and spreadsheets detailing the employees’ online gambling activities. They were engaged in multiple online gambling websites including b29.cafe, b69.cafe, Choangclub99, and kingfun247. They also accessed social media platforms to promote and invite others to participate in online gambling, as well as to address issues related to online gambling.
The police have charged all 18 Vietnamese involved with organising or conspiring to organise gambling activities or inducing others to gamble directly or indirectly through electronic media without permission from the authorities.
The C Asean Forum invites anyone interested in the green economy to join the “ASEAN Action Towards Circular Economy: Move Forward with Extended Producer Responsibility” event at C Asean, 10th floor, CW Tower, Ratchadapisek Road, Bangkok, on March 28, 2024.
Best chance to meet international speakers from GIZ, EU SWITCH-Asia Programme and Thailand EPR leading organizations from Thailand Institute of Packaging and Recycling Management for Sustainable Environment (TIPMSE) by The Federation of Thai Industries, SCG Packaging and Thai Beverage Can.
C asean in partnership with Thailand Supply Chain Network (TSCN) and the ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD) present C asean Forum, “ASEAN Action Towards Circular Economy: Move Forward with Extended Producer Responsibility”. The pivotal forum for ASEAN nations to deliberate on integrating Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) principles within the Circular Economy framework.
Its primary objective is to foster a collaborative and informed dialogue, inspiring actionable strategies for adopting EPR across the ASEAN region and Thailand. By bringing diverse perspectives and experiences together, the event seeks to develop a roadmap for incorporating EPR principles into national policies, industry practices, and community initiatives.
The ultimate vision is to propel ASEAN towards a Circular Economy that safeguards the environment and catalyzes economic growth and social well-being. This conference stands as a testament to ASEAN’s commitment to sustainable development and responsible resource management, setting the stage for a future where circularity is not just an aspiration but a shared reality.
Everything You Need to Know About the Garena Free Fire Mobile Challenge Finals This Weekend
The Mobile Challenge finals of the Snapdragon Pro Series Powered by Samsung Galaxy will take place on March 9 and 10 at Samyan Mitrtown Hall, Bangkok
BANGKOK – The Snapdragon Pro Series Powered by Samsung Galaxy (SPS), the world’s largest multi-title mobile esports league, created by ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., is set to host the Garena Free Fire Mobile Challenge Finals this weekend across March 9-10, bringing together the region’s best Free Fireteams to compete live in Bangkok for their share of an USD $80,000 total season prize pool.
“This weekend’s finals are set to be a celebration of all things Free Fire in the Snapdragon Pro Series,” said Som Nuchapa Trivijitsilp, Product Manager at ESL FACEIT Group.
“Fans can look forward not only to exciting gameplay live on stage, but a full event experience across the weekend, including signing sessions, meet & greets, and prized giveaways. I’d encourage every Free Fire fan in Bangkok to come down and experience this event in-person.”
Following months of competition across Southeast-Asia, twelve teams from across the region, comprised of five teams from Thailand, four teams from Indonesia, two teams from Vietnam, and one team from Malaysia have qualified and will compete live on stage this weekend.
During the qualification process, eighteen teams battled it out in the Challenge Group Stage, which saw the top six teams in the overall leaderboard proceed to the Challenge Finals.
The remaining twelve teams from the Challenge Group Stage then competed for one of six last-chance final spots in the Challenge Play-Ins. After the Challenge Season in 2023 which saw Indonesian teams claiming 1st and 2nd place, this year’s finals will offer local Thai teams a chance for revenge in front of a home crowd.
In addition to the intense competition, attendees can look forward to an array of on-site activations. These include face painting, a signing stage for meet-and-greets with Pro Players and Influencers, and a gamified zone where fans can visit four activity areas to collect tokens for a chance to win prizes. Attendees can also look forward to exclusive arrival gifts, on a strictly first-come-first served basis.
Fans will also have the chance to see popular local cosplayers in-person, with Earnies Hime, Kael PK, and Riko making appearances throughout the weekend. Fans are encouraged to register here to secure their spot, with limited registration capacity remaining.
Streaming Destinations
The Garena Free Fire Mobile Challenge Finals will be broadcast in five different languages (English, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian & Malay), with fans able to watch the action from a variety of different streaming platforms, outlined below:
Snapdragon is a trademark or registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated. Images can be found here Media guests are welcome to register here
About EFG
ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) is the leading esports and video game entertainment company dedicated to creating worlds beyond gameplay where players and fans become community. EFG is built on a legacy of world-renowned brands including ESL, FACEIT, DreamHack and DreamHack Sports Games, providing innovative ecosystems for global communities of players, fans and creators around the games they love. Working alongside leading partners, brands and global IPs, EFG operates an unmatched portfolio of live events, digital platforms and developer tools that reach and engage millions of gamers worldwide. For more information visit www.eslfaceitgroup.com
About Snapdragon Pro Series Powered by Samsung Galaxy
Welcoming players and fans to the Era of Everyone, the Snapdragon Pro Series Powered by Samsung Galaxy, delivered by Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and ESL FACEIT Group, is one of the world’s largest multi-genre mobile esports competitions. Spanning across multiple regions, featuring a wide range of mobile games, and including three tiers of competition (Open, Challenge, and Masters), the Snapdragon Pro Series redefines the mobile esports landscape, giving players around the globe, at all levels, a chance to become a champion and compete for a share of millions of dollars in prize money. (https://www.snapdragonproseries.com)
The American woman did not have a license to operate a daycare center.
SURAT THANI – Immigration police in Surat Thani province received a tip-off about a foreigner illegally running a daycare center and employing illegal foreign tourists and workers in a house in Moo 3, Tambon Koh Phangan, Koh Phangan district, Surat Thani province. On March 6, they teamed up with the Koh Phangan police to inspect the site.
Ms. Jennifer, a 40-year-old American, presented herself as the director of the daycare. The officers found tables, chairs, toys, teaching materials, and food for young children.
They also found 20 foreign children aged 3-5 years old studying and playing in the room. Three foreign tourists, one from Ukraine and two from Israel, were illegally working as caregivers and teachers. Four Burmese migrant workers were also found working as housemaids.
Immigration police inspected a daycare center in Moo 3, Tambon Koh Phangan, Koh Phangan district, Surat Thani province. On March 6, 2024.
During an inspection, it was discovered that the building did not have a license to operate a daycare center. The officers therefore took the eight people working at the facility to the Koh Phangan police station.
Ms. Jennifer was charged with establishing or operating a daycare center as a foreign national without a license.
One of the three foreign tourists was charged with working without a work permit. The migrant workers were charged with illegal entry and working without a work permit. Two of them were also charged with overstaying their visas and working without a work permit. The other was charged with failing to notify the registrar of changes in his employment.
Three Russians were arrested at the car rental company on Sri Sunthon Road, Choeng Thale Subdistrict, Thalang District, Phuket Province on March 5, 2024.
PHUKET – Provincial Police Region 8 officers led investigators into Phuket Province to examine visitors unlawfully operating a car rental business without authorization on March 5. Later, three Russians—Mr. Stepan is 38 years old, Mr. Dmitri is 34 years old, and Mr. Roman is 43 years old—were arrested at the car rental company on Sri Sunthon Road, Choeng Thale Subdistrict, Thalang District.
Police seized evidence from the company Boomerang Car & Bike Rental including: 1. CCTV recording server, brand HIKVISION, 2. Four sets of car rental contracts, two sheets each, 3. Two sheets of documents showing employee work schedules, 4. Four sheets of car rental rate documents, 5. Copies of certification letters. Company registration 21 sheets.
Investigators discovered that this company supplied cars and motorcycle rentals to tourists. Foreigners ran it, including the managing director, and employed foreign workers without work permits.
During the inquiry, police saw that the company office had a constant flow of foreign customers in and out, as well as two foreigners seated at the workplace. On the table, there is a computer and numerous documents that help customers prepare car rental documents, providing guidance to clients who contact the company.
The first individual was accused of “hiring foreigners without a work permit to work. The second and third accused were charged with being foreign workers without a work permit.
Meanwhile, Phuket Tourist Police arrested another Russian man, 37-year-old Mr. Andréi, who illegally opened a currency exchange office called Money Station in Sakhu Subdistrict, Thalang District. He was charged with being an alien living in the Kingdom of Thailand with expired permission and working without permission.
A currency exchange office, Money Station, was operated without permission.
A Filipino ladyboy, Ivy, and a 29-year-old Thai guy, Champ, have reached an agreement following the disputed incident.
BANGKOK – A Filipino ladyboy, Ivy, and a 29-year-old Thai guy, Champ, have reached an agreement following the disputed clash between a group of Thai ladyboys and Filipino transgenders two days ago. Both parties expressed gratitude and apologies to each other at Lumpini Police Station on Wednesday.
Officials from the Philippine Embassy in Thailand and the Immigration Police also participated in the negotiations after this incident became media headlines.
The incident began late Monday and early Tuesday, March 6, when an angry group of hundreds of Thai people attacked the Filipino transgender persons in front of a hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 11, causing injuries on both sides.
The chaotic situation reached its peak at 3.30 a.m. Tuesday, when about 10 Lumpini police officers protected the first group of two Filipino transgender people who were leaving the hotel.
According to reports, a group of twenty Filipino transgender people had previously attacked six Thais and then shared video footage on social media to mock them.
Ivy dropped her complaint against Champ, and the man paid 10,000 baht in medical expenses for her. She stated that she wants to permanently resolve the issue. She does not want to pursue legal action against anyone else. She currently has no intentions to return to Thailand or what to do. However, after 14 days of treatment, she will return to the Philippines.
The Filipino ladyboy, Miranda, apologises to the Thai people.
Champ expressed his gratitude to the Filipinos for being willing to compromise. It has helped him to file a lawsuit. When it ends this way, the relationship will improve. Ivy did not file any claims after he gave her 10,000 baht for medication, and he apologised. At that time, he was enraged and acted violently. He shouldn’t have done that.
According to the police, two Filipinos involved in the violence, Miranda and Castro, had already been sued at Pathumwan District Court on the charge of planning to assault another person, causing physical harm, and were fined 5,000 baht each. They would then be transferred to immigration for removal from the country.
“I’d like to apologise to the Thai people. I love Thais and Filipinos alike. I apologise to everyone involved in the event. I just misunderstood; however, it is considered a good lesson for us. “I hope everything’s fine,” one of them said.
Bitcoin briefly hit an all-time high Tuesday, March 5, 2024, with the world's largest cryptocurrency surpassing $68,800, according to CoinMarketCap. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin has hit an all-time high less than two years after the collapse of the crypto exchange FTX severely damaged faith in digital currencies and sent prices plunging.
The world’s largest cryptocurrency jumped 4% this week and briefly surpassed $68,800 Tuesday, according to CoinMarketCap. That’s just above bitcoin’s previous record set in November 2021.
The volatile asset soon fell some, standing at just under $62,000 as of 3 p.m. ET, but the price is still up more than 175% from one year ago.
Gains in recent months have been fueled by the anticipation, and eventual U.S. approval, of bitcoin exchange traded funds earlier this year, which provided access to a much broader class of investors. The price for bitcoin has surged about 60% since the approval of bitcoin ETFs in January, an easy way to invest in assets or a group of assets — like gold, junk bonds or bitcoins — without having to directly buy the assets themselves.
Also driving prices is what is known as bitcoin “halving” which is anticipated in April. Halvings trim the rate at which new coins are mined and created, thus lowering the supply.
Here’s what you need to know.
EARLY SUCCESS OF BITCOIN SPOT ETFS
In January, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved the first spot bitcoin ETFs from asset managers including Blackrock, Invesco and Fidelity. These newly approved ETFs hold actual bitcoin — unlike previous bitcoin-related ETFs that were invested in contracts related to future price bets, but not on the cryptocurrency itself.
While regulators have pointed to persisting risks and maintained reluctance around January’s decision, the greenlight marked a major win the crypto industry.
Institutional demand for bitcoin show “no signs of slowing down,” H.C. Wainwright’s Mike Colonnese and Dylan Scales wrote Tuesday — adding that bitcoin’s popularity “is likely to accelerate in the coming months as more wealth management platforms make spot (bitcoin) ETFs accessible to their clients.”
Using data from crypto platform BitMEX, Colonnese and Scales estimated that the 10 bitcoin ETFs averaged $302 million in net daily inflows for the month of February. Last week alone, these spot ETFs booked record inflows of $1.7 billion — bringing total net inflows to $7.5 billion since their Jan. 11 launch.
HALVING ON THE HORIZON
Increased demand is also aligning with bitcoin’s next halving event, which is expected at the end of April.
Bitcoin halving, which occurs every four years, is when the reward for bitcoin mining is cut in half. This reduces how fast new coins are created — making supply scarcer.
While analysts say that constrained supply in a time of high demand can push bitcoin’s price higher over time, others point to significant volatility that has resulted before and after halving events — and the possibility of sizable declines.
“Past history may not be a reliable guide to predict how the upcoming halving of bitcoin will influence its value,” Rajeev Bamra, senior vice president of digital finance at Moody’s Investors Service, noted. “Various external factors, market sentiment shifts, and regulatory developments can influence the trajectory of Bitcoin’s price.”
A HISTORY OF VOLATILITY
Bitcoin has a history of drastic swings in value — which can come suddenly and happen over the weekend or overnight in trading that continues at all hours, every day.
Bitcoin rocketed from just over $5,000 at the start of the pandemic to its November 2021 peak of nearly $69,000, in a period marked by a surge in demand for technology products. Prices crashed during an aggressive series of Federal Reserve rate hikes intended to cool inflation, slow money flows and make risky investments potentially riskier. Then came the 2022 collapse of FTX, which significantly undermined confidence in crypto.
At the start of last year, a single bitcoin could be had for less than $17,000. Investors, however, began returning in large numbers as inflation started to cool. And 2023’s collapse of prominent tech-focused banks actually led more investors to turn to crypto as they bailed out of positions in Silicon Valley start-ups and other risky bets.
Despite the recent excitement around bitcoin, experts still maintain that crypto is a risky bet with wildly unpredictable fluctuations in value. In short, investors can lose money as quickly as they make it.
“It’s essential to exercise caution and acknowledge that the road ahead for the digital finance ecosystem, particularly the crypto markets, is expected to navigate through a period marked by volatility,” Bamra noted — pointing the importance of “cautious optimism.”
BANGKOK – The Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) has reasserted its position as “The Ultimate Inspiring World Class Event Platform for All” by expanding its customer base to youth with three new high-profile events scheduled for March.
They are “CHA EUN-WOO 2024 Just One 10 Minute [Mystery Elevator] in Bangkok” with Korean heartthrob Cha Eun-Woo; “2024 Youngjae Asia Tour (Inside Out) Concert
in Thailand” with “Youngjae”, a member of the renowned Korean boy group GOT7; and “AssetWhite Presents PIANO & The Magic 7 Concert” with “Tor Saksit” and many guests.
These events will appeal to young people in line with QSNCC’s mission to be more than just a venue for MICE.
“Our main goal is to make QSNCC ‘The Ultimate Inspiring World Class Event Platform
for All,’ which is ready to organize a diverse range of events for all age groups. At QSNCC, we can organize a variety of lifestyle events from concerts and fan meetings to game tournaments and e-sports, which means our target customers are not limited to event organizers, seminar attendees or people who visit exhibitions. All young people who have a passion for activities or different lifestyle events can visit QSNCC too,” said
Surapol Utintu, Chief Executive Officer of N.C.C. Management and Development
Co., Ltd., the operator of QSNCC.
Surapol Utintu
The three events scheduled for March include:
• CHA EUN-WOO 2024 Just One 10 Minute [Mystery Elevator] in Bangkok – AROHA fandom must not miss this solo fan meeting with talented young actor Cha Eun-Woo, who has prepared a series of surprises for his fans in Thailand. And since March is his birth month, be prepared for even more excitement on Saturday, March 9, 2024, 19.00, at Exhibition Hall 3-4, level G.
• 2024 Youngjae Asia Tour (Inside Out) Concert in Thailand promises plenty of fun for all members of Ahgase fandom in Thailand yet again as GOT7 member Youngjae is preparing his latest Asia concert tour with two shows scheduled for Bangkok on Saturday and Sunday, March 16-17, 2024, 17.00-22.00,
at Exhibition Hall 3-4, level G.
• AssetWhite Presents PIANO&i The Magic 7 Concert will bring the magic of an amazing piano performance by Tor-Saksit Vejsupaporn as he performs songs by 7 leading artists in the Thai music industry. The concert will be performed under the concept of “The Magic 7” as one key has 7 notes and every note has its own magic. There will be two shows at 14.00 and 19.30 on Saturday, March 23, 2024, at the Ballroom 1-4, level 1.
Since its re-opening in September 2022, QSNCC has been a highly trusted venue for both Thai and international organizers who have seen its potentials, readiness and convenient location in the heart of the city with a connection to the MRT. In addition, QSNCC boasts cutting-edge technologies for organizing events, top-notch security measures that meet international standards and excellent facilities.
QSNCC has been chosen as a venue for more than 20 concerts and fan meetings, such as 4EVE The 1st Concert Friends & Family, T-POP Concert Fest, EXO-SC BACK TO BACK FANCON IN BANGKOK, 2023 KIM SEON HO ASIA TOUR IN BANGKOK < ONE, TWO, THREE. SMILE > and LAUV ‘the between albums tour’, among others. These events being held at QSNCC have given a boost to the Thai economy while generating revenue for the Thai entertainment industry.
“By expanding our event profile to covering events in the entertainment industry as well as expanding our target group to the young generation who are among the most avid concertgoers and fans, we are confident that we can be ‘more than just a convention center’. With restaurants, cafés, convenience stores, sport club, spa, as well as shower station in the retail zone, QSNCC is ready to welcome all comers to our venue with excellent services and memorable experiences. We expect around 50,000 people to attend
these three events in March,” Surapol said.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara attend the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Dialogue Relations on March 6, 2024.
MELBOURNE – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a news briefing of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Dialogue Relations, which Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara attended on March 6, 2024.
The Special Summit adopted two key outcome documents 1) ASEAN-Australia Leaders’Vision Statement – Partners for Peace and Prosperity and 2) Melbourne Declaration – Partnership for the Future to guide future cooperation under their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The Thai Prime Minister proposed deeper cooperation in areas such as seamless connectivity to facilitate trade and investment, development under the green agenda, food and health security, and climate change mitigation. He shared Thailand’s concerns on geopolitical and regional security issues as well as Thailand’s role on humanitarian assistance in Myanmar.
Members of ASEAN wave during a family photo at Government House during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne, Australia, Wednesday, March 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, left, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese shake hands ahead of a bilateral meeting at the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne, Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (James Ross/AAP Image via AP)
The Prime Minister also reiterated the call for the cessation of violence in the Middle-East and the release of all hostages, including Thai hostages in Gaza.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a statement on the situation between Israel and Gaza, as follows:
Thailand has been following, with deep concern, the ongoing situation in Israel – Gaza, as well as the attacks in Rafah, and the most recent incident in Northern Israel which has resulted in the loss of innocent lives, including injuries of 5 Thai workers.
These incidents only serve to remind us of the urgency to reach an agreement on the immediate cessation of hostilities, and the need to achieve a durable peace based on the two-State solution.
At this crucial juncture, Thailand is deeply concerned with the stalled ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, and calls on all sides to exert their full efforts to move forward the talks, and reach a humanitarian ceasefire, allowing greater access for humanitarian assistance to alleviate the plight of the Palestinian people in Gaza. Thailand sincerely hopes that the ceasefire can be reached before the holy month of Ramadan, and will lead to the release of all the hostages including Thai nationals.
A damage to a house after a rocket fired by Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group hit the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, on the border with Lebanon, Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
An Indian laborer in Israel was killed and several other migrant workers injured on March 4, 2024, in a missile attack launched from Lebanon by Hamas-aligned Hezbollah.
They are not the first migrant workers in Israel to get caught up in the monthslong fighting. Dozens of other farmworkers, agricultural apprentices and caregivers from countries including Thailand, Nepal, Tanzania, Cambodia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Moldova were murdered or taken hostage during the Hamas attack of Oct. 7.
The sizable number of non-Israeli workers affected by the current war has surprised some onlookers while shining a light on Israel’s reliance on temporary migrant workers.
But as researchers who study the proliferation of migrant workers around the world, we know how labor migration programs have transformed nearly all societies, including Israel’s. The long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict has shaped Israel’s migrant worker history – and has contributed to the globalization of the workforce in the Middle East.
Israeli security forces in Kiryat Shoma, northern Israel, evacuate a wounded Thai man after he was hit by an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon, in a nearby village on Monday, March 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
A global story
The initial recruitment of overseas workers to Israel, which began as early as the 1970s, followed a post-World War II trend that saw higher-income countries – such as the U.S., France and West Germany – sign labor migration recruitment agreements with poorer nations. These poorer countries, which at the time included Mexico, Spain and Turkey, among others, overcame an initial reluctance to lose part of their populace and began to see emigration as a strategy for modernization. The idea was that emigrants could learn modern farming or industrial skills overseas, while sending money back to boost development in their home communities.
In the 1970s and 1980s, many South and Southeast Asian countries began to promote the export of migrant workers as a key piece of their economic development strategies. At the same time, receiving countries became hooked on the idea of a flexible, temporary labor force that would not inflame anti-immigrant sentiment as much as more settled migrants seemingly did.
Israel’s relationship with Thai workers came initially by way of the United States’ support for the 1979 peace agreement between Israel and Egypt. The U.S. government recruited Thai workers who had once worked on Vietnam War-era U.S. military bases in northeastern Thailand to help build a new air force base in Israel.
The figure of a hand is marked with blood on the wall of a bomb shelter located in the Thai workers’ housing section of Kibbutz Nir Oz, Israel, near the Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023.(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
The arrival of the Thai migrant workers, along with Portuguese workers, prompted public controversy among Israeli lawmakers, trade unionists and the media about the creation of a split labor market, as research done by one of us has shown. Meanwhile, others worried that the workers’ presence cut against Zionist imperatives to guarantee a Jewish majority.
Attempting to resolve these contradictions, the Israeli government started to experiment with migration policies designed for a new category of workers – neither Jewish nor Palestinian – who were intended to remain separate from Israeli society.
A decade later, in a different political moment, these policy ideas would become concrete in a new category of person in Israel: the “foreign worker.”
Growing recruitment
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict drove the “foreign worker” policy forward. Though Israel was founded on the ideology of “avoda ivrit,” or Hebrew labor, Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza since 1967 has led to the recruitment of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian workers, who became an attractive low-wage labor force.
They soon came to compose 7% of the workers in the Israeli labor market as a whole, 24% of workers in the agricultural sector and 60% in the construction sector.
The non-citizen Palestinian workers commuted daily from the West Bank and Gaza, controlled by a regime of permits and regulations.
Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office Director General Yossi Shelley, foreground right visits the special area at the Shamir Medical Center for the 14 Thai nationals and one Philippine national, who returned from the Gaza Strip after their having been abducted by Hamas, in in Be’er Yaakov, Israel, Sunday Nov, 26, 2023. (Israel Prime Minister Office via AP)
When the first Palestinian uprising, or intifada, began in 1987, some members of the Israeli public came to see such workers as a security risk.
The 1993 Oslo Accords, which sought to foment “separation” between Israelis and Palestinians, further pushed Israel to minimize the dependency on non-citizen Palestinian workers.
To make up for the shortfall, Israeli employers convinced the government to vastly expand the recruitment of temporary workers to take their place. In addition to Thailand, countries including China, India, Nepal, the Philippines, Romania and Turkey spotted an opportunity and allowed Israeli employers to recruit within their borders. By 2003, migrant workers made up 10% of the labor force in Israel.
Creating marginal workers
Migrant workers in Israel, like their counterparts the world over, have long since been vulnerable to exploitation.
Many of their origin countries did not demand a commitment to secure their citizens’ rights in the form of a bilateral labor recruitment agreement. And workers migrating via private recruitment channels had to pay thousands of dollars in illegal “sign-up” fees, causing them to begin their journeys deep in debt.
Meanwhile, Israeli government policies have attempted to keep migrants outside of society by confining them to specific industries, obligating them to leave the country upon completion of their labor contract, excluding them from the public health system and prohibiting them from marrying or engaging in romantic relations while in Israel.
And authorities have paid little attention to labor standards, leaving farmworkers, for example, vulnerable to wage theft, terrible housing and exposure to pesticides without proper protection.
A damage to a house after a rocket fired by Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group hit the northern Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, on the border with Lebanon, Tuesday, March 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Under pressure from the U.S. government and Israeli civil society, over the past decade Israel began to sign bilateral agreements with countries sending migrants. These eliminated exorbitant recruitment fees, even if they failed to meaningfully improve labor conditions.
Even so, the number of migrant workers has grown slowly but steadily. In 2022, a total of 73,000 migrants in Israel worked as caregivers, in addition to nearly 50,000 in the construction and agriculture sectors combined.
Yet these migrants did not obviate the need to also have Palestinian labor in the mix. By Oct. 7, 2023, about 100,000 Palestinian workers crossed the border daily from Gaza and the West Bank.
In harm’s way
Since Oct. 7, Israeli authorities have ended those Palestinians’ work permits and tried to recruit thousands of new workers to the fields and construction sites to make up for the shortfall.
Malawi, a country that came to depend on migrants’ economic remittances decades before Thailand did, has sent 700 farmworkers and promises another 9,000 on the way – notwithstanding criticism from voices within the African nation itself.
In India, which had long sent caregivers to Israel, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ignored internal criticism and sent Israel more workers in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack, including Pat Nibin Maxwell, the man killed in the March 4 Hezbollah attack.
Pat Nibin Maxwell facebook
Workers like Maxwell are now being sent to work near the borders of Lebanon and Gaza, laboring in agricultural communities vulnerable to Hamas and Hezbollah attacks that have been depleted by the evacuation of Israeli residents.
Though foreign governments are able to guarantee their citizens few protections in Israel, thousands have queued up in their home countries in search of a contract.
Once in Israel, they join the vast majority of migrant workers who have elected to remain in the country despite the Oct. 7 attack and its aftermath.
Like millions of migrant workers the world over in search of economic progress or survival, they have calculated, for now, that earning higher wages abroad is worth taking significant personal risks.
While helping keep the Israeli economy running during wartime, these migrant workers remain in the path of rockets – as the death of Pat Nibin Maxwell has illustrated.
Streaming Destinations
