Israel’s ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip seems to have sparked an increase in anti-Palestinian rhetoric and incidences of Islamophobia in Thailand.
Whereas pro-Palestinian protests have damaged out in Thailand, there has additionally been rising help for Israel [Getty]
Israel’s ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip has brought on tensions in Thailand, the place a small variety of pro-Palestinian protests have damaged out however many Thais have additionally expressed help for Israel in its struggle on the besieged territory.
The state of affairs seems to have sparked an increase in incidences of Islamophobia within the southeast Asian nation, in addition to anti-Palestinian rhetoric.
In an op-ed for Nikkei Asia, Daungyewa Utarasint, a Thai-Muslim professor primarily based in Abu Dhabi, famous that Thai migrant employees in Israel have been taken hostage by Hamas, and 33 employees have been reportedly killed.
She mentioned that the Hamas assault had “considerably heightened consciousness” in Thailand in regards to the state of affairs of Thai expatriates in Israel and turned public opinion in opposition to Palestinians.
Thailand is usually Buddhist, however has a Muslim minority comprising about 5 per cent of the inhabitants. There have been tensions between the 2 communities earlier than, with a long-running separatist Muslim insurgency within the south of the nation.
“Consultants and students, together with myself, who’ve shared feedback with Thai media in regards to the Israel-Palestine battle that don’t conform with the now-prevailing view have confronted a fierce backlash,” Utarasint mentioned.
She added that her social media accounts have been flooded with anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim hate feedback for her sympathy in the direction of the Palestinian victims in Gaza.
The already-devastated Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza has been focused by Israeli airstrikes for the second day in a row.
That is the most important refugee camp within the Gaza Strip, with a dense inhabitants of round 116,000 refugees in only one.4sq km 👇 pic.twitter.com/LJ4VK0enhv
— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) November 1, 2023
Utarasint’s feedback come amid rising anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim hostility in Thailand.
Thailand’s authorities has formally adopted a ‘impartial’ stance within the Gaza battle and targeting the killings and abductions of Thai nationals in Israel in the course of the 7 October Hamas assault.
On Tuesday, Thailand’s international minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara met with Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha to debate Qatari help in rescuing the Thai hostages.
Whereas many Thais have chosen to help Israel, the Thai authorities has additionally been criticised on social media for not condemning Israel’s indiscriminate assaults on Gaza, which kill lots of of Palestinians each day.
Some 300 Thai Muslim protesters took to the streets and condemned Israel’s acts in opposition to Gaza in a pro-Palestine gathering in southern Thailand final Friday.
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