Ministry to combat yaba abuse among Thais in Israel
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Foreign Ministry has joined with related agencies to combat methamphetamine (yaba) abuse among Thai workers abroad, acting on a report that around half of the 27,000 Thai workers in Israel suffered with the problem, which is costing Bt50 billion in lost remittances every year.

Thongchai Chasawat, director-general of the Consular Affairs Department, said yesterday that a recent inspection of Thai workers' camps in Israel found that many workers were taking two tablets of yaba a day.

Besides affecting their health, the yaba abuse fuelled assaults against Israeli citizens, which could damage bilateral ties between the countries, he said, adding that drug trafficking by Thais in Israel is also tarnishing Thailand's image.

Witthawan Sunthornkhajit, deputy secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), said the maximum punishment for taking yaba in Israel was six months in jail. He added that the ONCB would join forces with the Foreign Ministry, Thai Post, Customs Department, the Employment Department and Narcotic Suppression Police in a working committee to prevent and suppress yaba trafficking from Thailand to Israel.

As a short-term solution, all packages sent to Israel would be rigorously checked and senders would be required to show their ID cards, while Israeli authorities would crackdown on yaba dealers, most of whom are Thais working illegally in Israel.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Ministry-to-combat-yaba-abuse-among-Thais-in-Israe-30249663.html


-- The Nation 2014-12-12

"costing Bt50 billion in lost remittances every year."

What Somchia is letting Thailand down and not sending all that money to Thailand? How dare Somchia spend it and not give to Thailand doesn't he realise tourism is down, happy endings have be banned and police shakedowns are under scrutiny. Thailand needs this money from abroad you selfish, self centred bastards.

Edited December 11, 201411 yr by Kooweerup

which is costing Bt50 billion in lost remittances every year

Here we find the real reason for Thailand's concern. Those poor, poor workers whose health is in jeopardy and, let's not forget about that 50 billion.

Get dear leader to order them to do 2 jobs and keep that farang money flowing in

Surely an easy way to combat this would be for Israel to do it but they might just boot out the Thai drug users and dealers, losing even more remittances.

This will be one of the rare news items that mentioned the word 'Israel' without the hate mongers

to come out wailing, cursing and demonizing Israel...

Not doing to well is Thailand, in the view of Israelis.

First, flaunting Hitler in a so-called false-negative light, and now drug dealing on its own doorstep. Happy days!

This really will affect Thailand's 'image' !

Maybe if they were not living in camps doing hard labor for low wages they would not feel a need to use drugs

Or perhaps kill two birds with one stone .... send the happy massage girls to the camps to keep the spirits up

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Surely an easy way to combat this would be for Israel to do it but they might just boot out the Thai drug users and dealers, losing even more remittances.

It is an Israel problem, it's in their country , they will fix it by deporting Thai's and taking on phillipino's, bang , there goes the budget.

Maybe if they were not living in camps doing hard labor for low wages they would not feel a need to use drugs

Or perhaps kill two birds with one stone .... send the happy massage girls to the camps to keep the spirits up

If they are legally contracted workers they'll be getting paid at least $5.78 per hour for a 43 hour week. If they're working there illegally they'll be earning much less for working a lot more hours.

"Thai's working illegally in Israel". Now I've heard it all.

What's next, no more visa runs? Can't be, we have the monopoly on that.

Edited December 12, 201411 yr by Friendly Stranger

This is a 5000 baht daily habit for all 27,000 workers... Hahaha 5555 haaaahahaaa

"...drug trafficking by Thais in Israel is also tarnishing Thailand's image."

As if Thailand's image was pristine and lily white before this.

This will be one of the rare news items that mentioned the word 'Israel' without the hate mongers

to come out wailing, cursing and demonizing Israel...

realists ?

I guess remittances = money sent home? If that's the case what jobs have these Thais got in Israel? If we use the British version of a billion that would equate to each Thai "remitting" 18,5185,851 Baht a year and the US version would equate to a remittance of 1,851,851 baht a year to Thailand. I lived in Israel for many years and even for Israelis this would be high - it also buys a lot of yaba!!

Is that 'yaba' produced in Israël, or is it imported from Thailand?

When produced and dealt in Israël, this is a 100% 'internal affair' of Israël, '0'% of Thailand.

When imported from Thailand, the role of Thailand should 'limit' itself to, possibly(?!) trace and eradicate the organisations responsible for

production, and for export, of the 'yaba' on its territory, what they weren't so successfull at till now. And that even when the traffic would be 'related' to ex- (or active?) Mossad/Shinbet agents, 'possibly' having a same kind of 'activity' inside Thailand... Oops!

But it would for sure be very 'interesting', on human rights level, to gather information about the conditions in which these Thai migrant workers are living, and working in Israël, not to speak about their salary, and the 'organisations' running this operation, and bleeding them... Oops!

The Thai authorities might maybe better not have tilted this stone up, now they should have to look at all what's hidden under it... Will it happen? Not a single chance! Why? 'The system'...

I guess remittances = money sent home? If that's the case what jobs have these Thais got in Israel? If we use the British version of a billion that would equate to each Thai "remitting" 18,5185,851 Baht a year and the US version would equate to a remittance of 1,851,851 baht a year to Thailand. I lived in Israel for many years and even for Israelis this would be high - it also buys a lot of yaba!!

You're guessing at what 'remittance' means doesn't really make me trust your English or your math. What number is "18,5185, 851"? That's an interesting number. My guess is you're on a bit of yaba, too.

This will be one of the rare news items that mentioned the word 'Israel' without the hate mongers

to come out wailing, cursing and demonizing Israel...

You're joking right?

That's impossible.

Maybe if they were not living in camps doing hard labor for low wages they would not feel a need to use drugs

Or perhaps kill two birds with one stone .... send the happy massage girls to the camps to keep the spirits up

If they are legally contracted workers they'll be getting paid at least $5.78 per hour for a 43 hour week. If they're working there illegally they'll be earning much less for working a lot more hours.

Do you seriously mean every contracted Thai worker will become a net net amount of $5.78 per hour minimum, for a 43 hour week, with overtime, paid also, in surplus, and at gradually higher rates? No deducts? No 'fees' for lodging, for water, for electric, for food? No blown up prices for groceries having to be bought from the local 'cantine'? No deducted commissions for local 'placement' organisations, nor, very high ones, for the Thai 'brokers'? What also about healthcare, and insurance coverage for accidents?

And you please tell us, sounding like an 'insider', why and how is it possible in a super-organised and mega-controled country like Israël for employers to become, and make (ab-)use of illegal workers? Would it be that the Israëli authorities turn a blind eye on such illegal activities then, and, again, why?

I do it in question form, not to be accused of 'israël bashing', or worse..., IMO the real picture is not at all in the lovely pink colour you brushed it with...

This will be one of the rare news items that mentioned the word 'Israel' without the hate mongers

to come out wailing, cursing and demonizing Israel...

Read my #19 and give your answers then, though I'm not a hate monger wailing, cursing and demonizing Israël! Or is that your definition of anyone asking questions about Israël, or, expressing any kind of criticism, about Israël? Would questions and criticism about Israël not be allowed then for some reason, and when so, which one please?

This will be one of the rare news items that mentioned the word 'Israel' without the hate mongers

to come out wailing, cursing and demonizing Israel...

Read my #19 and give your answers then, though I'm not a hate monger wailing, cursing and demonizing Israël! Or is that your definition of anyone asking questions about Israël, or, expressing any kind of criticism, about Israël? Would questions and criticism about Israël not be allowed then for some reason, and when so, which one please?

Your questions (post 16) seek to blame Israel and not the Thais. Did the Jews force the Thais to work there? Force them to stick drugs in their blood? No. So your questions are obviously lame provocations (Mossad/Shinbet agents, oh please) and totally off topic. You're obviously out to demonize Israel and you're fooling nobody. Can't help it huh?

I know you're going to reject this response, but others, think about it, suppose this story was about drug using Thai guest workers in some other country than Israel. Do you really think we would get the kind of obsessive off topic "questioning" deflecting away from the Thais in that case, if it wasn't in ISRAEL? I think -- no way.

It's not that Israel is perfect, of course it isn't. No country is. It's that so many people are so obsessed with the imperfections of Israel way out of balance to the imperfections of every other country on the planet. If that isn't demonization, I'm the pope.

Edited December 12, 201411 yr by Jingthing

I guess remittances = money sent home? If that's the case what jobs have these Thais got in Israel? If we use the British version of a billion that would equate to each Thai "remitting" 18,5185,851 Baht a year and the US version would equate to a remittance of 1,851,851 baht a year to Thailand. I lived in Israel for many years and even for Israelis this would be high - it also buys a lot of yaba!!

You're guessing at what 'remittance' means doesn't really make me trust your English or your math. What number is "18,5185, 851"? That's an interesting number. My guess is you're on a bit of yaba, too.

50 billion baht divided by 27,000 is the number 185,185,851 numbnuts using the correct British billion (1 million X 1 million = 1 billion) and remittance being a transfer of funds is not a hard one but it's unclear where the lost remittances are coming from, it's clearly not the migrant workers is it. Not a drug user and never have been and don't appreciated being called one by anybody, much less a numpty dimwitted American who can't do simple maths.

Get dear leader to order them to do 2 jobs and keep that farang money flowing in

Then they'd have to take methamphetamines to work the 20 hour days.

combat yaba abuse among Thais in Israel... I wish they'd do something about Yaba use in Thailand..... but of course too many organisations make too much $$$ out of it over here...