Dua Sae-yang, 34 & Somchai Sae-yang, 26: Thai cousins worked together

Dua Sae-yang, 35, and his cousin, Somchai Sae-yang, 26, both agricultural laborers from the city of Chiang Rai in northern Thailand, were murdered by Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Alumim on October 7.

According to the Guardian, Dua had been working in Israel for two years, while Somchai had arrived in the country a little over a year before he was killed.

While they arrived at separate times, they worked together in Alumim. The Guardian said that both of the men had contacted their wives amid the attack and told them of the violence before contact was cut off. Their families were not officially notified of their deaths for several weeks, although they were told by surviving Thai workers that they had been killed in the attack.

In total, 12 Thai workers and 10 Nepalese students were slain when Hamas attacked the agricultural barracks of Kibbutz Alumim with gunfire and grenades, and four others were kidnapped to Gaza.

Dua’s body was returned to Thailand on November 9, 2023, for burial, while Somchai’s remains were returned to Thailand on November 16, 2023.

Somchai is survived by his wife, Aree Sae-Song, and their two daughters, ages 4 and 1, while Dua is survived by his wife, Arachaporn Sae-ja, and their three children, 7, 5 and 2, as well as his parents, Wang and Wang Sai, and seven younger siblings.

Dua’s wife, Arachaporn, told a local Thai news outlet that her husband was 2.5 years into a 5-year contract to work in agriculture in Israel growing vegetables and fruits and raising cattle.

“I am very sad because my husband is the only breadwinner of the family and with him gone, the family with its three children will suffer greatly,” she said.

Somchai’s wife, Aree, said when she heard about the violence, “I prayed that my husband was among the group that had not died,” but after she was unable to reach him, “my hope was diminishing.”

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