BANGKOK: It was a tale of twin negotiations as war raged between Israel and Hamas in the wake of the Oct 7 attack.
While the Thai government was going through official channels to rescue its citizens taken hostage by the Palestinian armed group in Gaza, a small team of Thai Muslims started a separate negotiation that would lead to an exclusive meeting with one of its key members.
Facilitated by a Thai scholar in Iran, messages were exchanged between Hamas’ representative in Tehran and 79-year-old Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, Thailand’s House Speaker and a veteran Muslim politician.
Subsequently, a two-hour meeting was set up in the Iranian capital on Oct 26. There, a three-person delegation from Thailand met Hamas’ Khaled Qaddoumi, described by one of the negotiators as “an individual who is among America’s top targets”.
Qaddoumi promised the delegates that the Thai captives – dozens of farm workers from rural Thailand – would be freed as soon as it was safe to do so.
The parallel discussions paid off – Thai citizens were among the first group of hostages released by Hamas, with more set free during a week-long shaky truce with Israel.
Analysts say the breakthrough was made possible through Thailand’s long-established ties with the Arab world and multilateral diplomatic negotiations – particularly between the Thai Muslims and Hamas.
“Hamas told us we are the first and only group to have a direct conversation with them,” Dr Lerpong Syed, one of the Thai negotiators, told CNA.
At the same time, analysts noted that Hamas stands to gain from the unconditional release. The militant group is designated as a terror organisation by Western nations such as the US and UK.
“Hamas wants to have soft power in the global community. They want friends,” said Middle East specialist Dr Arthit Thongin from the School of Political Science, Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, who described the move as a “quick win” for the armed group.
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THAILAND’S EXCLUSIVE TALK WITH HAMAS
Around 1,200 people – Israelis and foreigners – were killed during Hamas’ coordinated attack on Israel in early October. Around 240 people were abducted, including 32 Thai workers.
Israel has since commenced heavy bombardment of Gaza while undertaking a ground offensive. The retaliation has killed more than 15,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
As the Thai government sought to secure the release of its people, the team of Thai Muslims was undertaking its own effort, which led to the face-to-face meeting with Qaddoumi in Tehran.
During the exclusive dialogue with Hamas, the Thai delegates asked for the unconditional release of the Thai workers and emphasised Thailand’s neutrality in the conflict.
Dr Lerpong told CNA the delegation does not represent the government of Thailand and has no bargaining power; all they did was make a plea for help.
“We asked them to help release Thai people because Thais aren’t involved in the conflict. The talk went on for a long time,” he explained.
A month later, when a Qatar-brokered ceasefire came into effect, the presence of 10 Thai workers in the first group of hostages released by Hamas was largely met with surprise and incredulity.
They were freed in a separate agreement from the truce deal between Hamas and Israel and were subsequently joined by an additional 13 Thais in the following days.
Besides the meeting with Hamas, Dr Lerpong’s team also met with Iran’s influential figures in October to seek their help with the hostage release.
Concurrently, the Thai government held parallel talks with allies in the Islamic world. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin had an audience with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and discussed the situation.
Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, meanwhile, travelled to meet his counterparts in Egypt and Qatar. He also sought a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Doha and called for Tehran’s help with the release of Thai hostages.
According to the Iranian foreign ministry, Mr Abdollahian conveyed the message to “high political officials of the Hamas movement” during a separate meeting in the Qatari capital.
“Thailand has used various diplomatic channels,” said Dr Jaran Maluleem, a political scientist professor specialising in Middle Eastern affairs from Thammasat University.
He noted that Thailand’s recognition of Palestine as a state and its status as an observer country of the Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation had also contributed to the safe return of the Thai hostages.
“These positive signs have placed us in the safe zone in the hostage situation,” the professor added.
NEUTRAL DIPLOMACY: A LESSON TO BE LEARNT
Last week, the Thai foreign minister conveyed the appreciation from the Thai government to diplomats from Iran, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt and Malaysia for their countries’ assistance in the hostage release.
While Thailand maintains its neutral diplomacy that supports the two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians, analysts say there are lessons to be drawn from the hostage situation.
According to Dr Jaran from Thammasat University, the state should learn to better project impartiality in its foreign diplomacy. He referred to the Thai prime minister’s condemnation of Hamas’ attack on Israel, calling it “a mistake”.
“We must emphasise our neutrality more when it comes to our relations with any foreign country. Leaning towards any country in particular makes us lose the balance of power significantly,” he told CNA.
On Oct 7, Mr Srettha posted on social media: “I condemn the attack on Israel, an inhumane attack that caused innocent people to lose their lives and get hurt. I’d like to express my deepest condolences to the government and the people of Israel. This incident shouldn’t have happened.”
The Thai foreign ministry also issued a statement on the same day, asking all sides to avoid adding more tension to the conflict and denouncing the use of violence.
Meanwhile, the release of Thai hostages has highlighted Thailand’s relations with Iran.
Besides the diplomatic ties that date back centuries, Middle East expert Dr Arthit said Shia Muslims in Thailand also play a key role in maintaining a good relationship with Tehran and that such connections contributed to the successful release of the Thai hostages.
“Hamas is fairly dependent on Iran. So, they have to listen to Iran’s suggestion and request regarding the release of Thai people,” Dr Arthit pointed out.
Moving forward, he added, Thailand should strengthen ties with such allies, whose influence in the Middle East and beyond could help the kingdom in future crises.
“I think this should lead Thailand to review its bilateral relations,” Dr Arthit told CNA.