Five Thai hostages return home after a year in Hamas captivity
Thailand witnessed an emotional homecoming as five nationals, held captive by Hamas for more than a year, finally reunited with their families at Suvarnabhumi Airport on February 9, local media reported.
The five returnees — SathienSuwannakham from Nong Bua Lam Phu, PongsakThaenna from Buri Ram, Watchara Sriaoun from Udon Thani, SurasakRumnao from Udon Thani, and BannawatSaethao from Nan — were welcomed with tearful embraces, marking the end of their harrowing ordeal, The Bangkok Post reported.
PongsakThaenna, 35, broke down in tears as he hugged his 65-year-old father, Wilas. “I am indescribably happy to come back home again,” he said, expressing gratitude to the Thai Government for facilitating his return. ” Among those waiting anxiously was Bannawat’s wife, Wichayada Sae-yang, 22, who had spent months praying for her husband’s safe return. The couple has three children — aged one, four, and six — who had been asking why their father had not been in touch.
“Every day, they asked when he would come home,” she said. For SathienSuwannakham’s mother, 60-year-old Nukan, the return of her son was a moment she had feared would never come. “I visited as many shrines as possible, praying for his safety. I even consulted fortune tellers, just to know if he was still alive,” she revealed. The release of the Thai hostages comes amid ongoing negotiations following Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israeli border communities. According to Israeli authorities, at least 240 people — including both Israelis and foreign nationals — were abducted. Among them were 30 Thai labourers, making Thailand one of the hardest-hit foreign nations.
During the same attack, 41 Thai nationals were killed. The first group of Thai hostages was freed later that year, and efforts continued to secure the release of the remaining captives. Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, who personally escorted the returnees from Israel, described the moment as deeply emotional. “To see them back in the arms of their families… this is what we worked for,” he said. The minister reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to bringing home the last remaining Thai hostage still believed to be in Hamas captivity. Additionally, authorities are working to repatriate the bodies of two deceased Thai nationals.