ZAMBOANGA CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 18 Jul) Thailand has asked the Philippines to temporarily take care of its citizens in Lebanon because it has no embassy in Beirut.
The request was made on Tuesday during a meeting between Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Supamonkhon and President Gloria Arroyo who made a brief transit in Bangkok on her way back from Libya, the independent Thai newspaper the Nation said.
Kantathi told reporters that Manila was asked to take care of some 100 Thai workers in Lebanon because it has an embassy in Beirut while Bangkok does not.
Arroyo was in Libya for a State visit. It was unknown whether the Philippines would help secure the Thais in Lebanon because it has not even started evacuating its own citizens.
The Philippine Foreign Affairs on Tuesday said it sees no rush to evacuate Filipino workers, while the United States, Britain and Canada have already evacuated their citizens from Lebanon. More than 30,000 Filipinos are in Lebanon.
At least 15 Thais have been safely evacuated Monday from Lebanon to Syria, the Foreign Ministry announced. It said about 100 Thais are living in Lebanon and all can be accounted for.
Lebanon is under siege from Israel attacks after Hezbollah abducted two Israeli soldiers near its border.
Israel, which demanded the release of its soldiers, has carried out a relentless aerial campaign in Lebanon and its capital Beirut, while Hezbollah has fired hundreds of rockets at Israeli towns and cities.
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