Was the Thai army's Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) deployed to Israel? No, that's not true: Only the Royal Thai Air Force has been engaged in repatriating Thai nationals from the conflict zone at the time of writing. An official statement from the Thai military regarding the deployment of the RDF to Israel has not been made yet.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on October 9, 2023, under the title (translated from Thai into English by Lead Stories staff) "Rapid deployment force Thailand go to Israel." It opens:
Rapid Deployment Force Thailand ready to go to Israel
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Mon Oct 23 16:07:02 2023 UTC)
The Thailand Rapid Deployment Force is a swiftly mobilized military or police unit prepared for rapid deployment during emergencies. Contrary to the TikTok video's claim that the force was dispatched to Israel to assist Thai citizens, there is no official statement confirming such a deployment.
Instead, the Royal Thai Air Force announced its mission to evacuate Thai nationals from Israel on three separate flights, with the first flight repatriating 130 Thais. The A340-500 aircraft embarked on its inaugural mission on October 14, 2023, and safely returned to Thailand on October 16, 2023.
Approximately 30,000 Thais reside in Israel, with many of them working as migrant workers. According to news reports, at least 30 Thais have lost their lives since the attacks. Reuters has confirmed that Hamas has captured 19 Thai hostages.
