Officials and civilians gathered at Ben-Gurion Airport on Tuesday morning to bid farewell to slain Thai farm worker Sudthisak Rinthalak as his body was sent back to his native country for burial.
The grey sky seemed to underscore the pain of Israel’s Thai community with the emotional return of a dedicated Thai citizen who had come to Israel to further provide for his family back home.
Thailand’s Ambassador Boonyarit Vichienpuntu told The Jerusalem Post that he felt Thai hostages were treated with the same urgency as Israeli hostages and that he was thankful for the relationship between the two countries.
“Today is another moment of common sorrow,” he told the Post. “We are thankful to the Israeli government, which never stopped trying to find the bodies of our hostages.”
In a speech addressed to attendees, the ambassador called Rinthalak a “humble and hardworking man who bravely crossed the ocean with devotion and determination to build a better life for himself and for his loved ones.”
Vichienpuntu noted the mass of other Thai workers slain on that day, and the opportunities taken away from them prematurely. “Their hopes – and even their right to dream – were taken away along with their lives and freedom.”
The circle closes
“This moment also allows us to renew our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of all Thai workers here, who serve as living bridges between our two countries,” he stated. “To secure lasting peace and stability in the region, Thailand, alongside the international community, remains firmly committed to supporting the full implementation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.”
Gal Hirsch, the coordinator for the hostages and the missing at the Prime Minister’s Office, apologized to the slain hostage and his family for his untimely death. “I’m so sorry. This should not have ended this way,” Hirsch told the crowd. “On October 7, 2023, there was a terrible invasion of Israel – a huge terror attack. We failed to protect you.”
Hirsch praised what he called the continual, strong relationship between Israel and Thailand even in the darkest of hours, and stated that the Israeli government “did everything possible to bring the hostages home.
“For us, foreign hostages and Israeli hostages were the same,” he added, vowing that Israel would continue to fight terrorism. “We are responsible for everyone.”
Israel’s Ambassador to Thailand, Dr. Alona Fisher-Kamm, talked about Rinthalak’s promise to his family just days before his death that he would return home soon.
“For six years, Israel was not only his workplace; it became his home,” she said, noting the 39 other Thai workers murdered on October 7. “He wove his life into the life of the kibbutz and ultimately shared its fate.”
“In their work, their lives, and their suffering, the Thai people bound their fate with ours. We became, in the profound sense, brothers.”
Fisher-Kamm noted that even post-October 7, more than 40,000 Thai nationals reside in Israel. “They are an integral part of our society – part of us. This is how we honor them, both in life and in death. The people of Israel accompany you on your final journey and will carry your memory.”
Mazor Matzevich, 53, a resident of Shoham and an activist in the fight to return all hostages, attended the ceremony with other activists from the Israeli public. “Every week, we stood at six o’clock in the central square, holding pictures of the hostages, reminding everyone that this was the most important mission,” Matzevich told the Post, emphasizing that many activists like herself took time off from work to advocate for the return of the hostages.
Matzevich also said that the minimal attendance of Israeli government officials at these rallies in general and at this final farewell to a returned hostage was upsetting.
“It is embarrassing that the Israeli government did not find it appropriate to send even one minister to this ceremony,” she said. “The public came because they cared, even though the event was not published in advance.
This is not the first time that ceremonies for returning murdered hostages home were not attended by senior government representatives.”
According to Matzevich, “Despite the speeches we hear, the government did not act in time to bring the hostages back. That delay ultimately allowed the killing of hostages who could have returned alive.”