Roongarun Wichanguen, sister of 33-year-old Thai hostage Vetoon Phoome freed by Hamas, has explained that her brother was not mistreated in captivity.

She said she got the news her brother was coming home early today.

“I was very happy because my hopes were very dim, but suddenly there was hope,” she told AFP.

She saw a photo of Vetoon, who moved from northeastern Nong Bua Lam Phu province to Israel five years ago to work on a potato farm, and was in disbelief.

“I zoomed in and I found my brother there in it,” she said. “I had a video call with my brother and his face was happy.”

“He said that he was not tortured, or assaulted, and had been fed good food. He was taken care of very well,” she added.

Opinion

Editorial

AJK elections
29 Jul, 2026

AJK elections

CONSIDERING the political unrest that has rocked Azad Jammu and Kashmir in the recent past, free and fair general...
Still vulnerable
29 Jul, 2026

Still vulnerable

THE State Bank’s decision to hold the policy rate at 11.5pc is a prudent response to the heightened risks the...
Guarding the past
29 Jul, 2026

Guarding the past

THE return of 513 smuggled archaeological artefacts from the US is a welcome homecoming for objects that should ...
Lull in fighting
Updated 28 Jul, 2026

Lull in fighting

AFTER two weeks of escalating violence, the US has halted its strikes on Iran, with Tehran also silencing it guns....
Water policy
28 Jul, 2026

Water policy

THE country is caught in a crisis where there too much water at the wrong time and too little when it is most ...
Ending hepatitis
28 Jul, 2026

Ending hepatitis

WORLD Hepatitis Day is being observed under the theme ‘Hepatitis: Let’s break it down’, a call to remove the...