Israel-Hamas war has awakened anti-Muslim hate in Thailand

Israel-Hamas war has awakened anti-Muslim hate in Thailand

The significant number of Thai migrant workers killed and injured in Hamas' surprise attack on Israel has turned many Thais hostile to the Palestinian cause and to Thai Muslims critical of Israel's counteroffensive in Gaza, writes Daungyewa Utarasint.
 
"Thais need to understand that having sympathy for Palestinians does not imply disloyalty to Thailand," writes the visiting assistant professor at the New York University Abu Dhabi.
 
Going forward, the episode shows that Thailand needs to be more awake to the potential risks facing those going overseas to work -- and to the factors driving them, Utarasint suggests. "Many Thais are more willing to face the dangers of war than to return to Thailand because they can earn 10 times as much as migrants."