First group of Thais from Libya to return home Aug 1

BANGKOK, July 31 (TNA) - The first group of 41 Thai nationals is scheduled to be evacuated from violence-plagued Libya on July 31 and they will arrive in Thailand on August 1. Supreme Commander General Tanasak Patimapragorn, who is also a deputy chief of the army-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), told journalists of the update on Thursday. General Tanasak said that the first group of 41 Thai people would be first evacuated from Libya to Tunis, where they would then take a plane back to Thailand on August 1. General Tanasak revealed that the Thai people would be evacuated from Libya to Tunis, Tunisia's capital, at day and it should take about six hours to reach Tunis. General Tanasak elaborated that the group consists of 30 Thai workers and 11 students in Libya who have sought the return, while 70 other Thai people in Benghazi are waiting for their process to exit Libya but they are also prepared for evacuation with their departure being arranged. According to the NCPO deputy chief, Thai authorities are facilitating the evacuation in Tunisia's Tunis and Djerba Cities and in case that the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs was unable to secure a commercial flight for the evacuees, the Royal Thai Air Force could immediately deploy its C-130 transport aircraft for the mission. (TNA)