Eight Thais arrive home from Libya Aug 2

BANGKOK, August 2 (TNA) - Eight Thai nationals are scheduled to arrive home on Saturday, after being evacuated from violence-plagued Libya, while a group of Thai Foreign Ministry officials have already arrived in Tunis, Tunisia's capital, to coordinate the evacuation of the rest of Thai citizens from civil war-riddled Libya. The officials, led by Thongchai Chasawat, Director-General of the ministry's Department of Consular Affairs, arrived in Tunis at about 6:30pm on Friday (local time), or about 0:30am on early Saturday morning (Thailand's time). The officials are scheduled to confer with the Thai Honorary Consul in Tunis before proceeding to Djerba in Tunisia, located near the Libyan border, later on Saturday to coordinate and map plans for the evacuation of the remaining Thai citizens from Libya. According to the plan, Thongchai and the other Thai officials will assist Thai evacuees from Libya and send them to a centre in Tunis, where they will board a rented chartered flight back to Thailand if the number of returnees is large enough. But, Thongchai acknowledged, many Thais are still reluctant to leave Libya and his ministry's officials are, therefore, trying to convince them to prioritize their safety and not to be worried about their travelling expenses. (TNA)