Thai authorities are considering revoking the visas and deporting two foreign nationals, an Israeli and a French businessman, after a personal dispute on the island of Koh Samui over a Palestinian flag escalated into a physical confrontation, online threats and legal proceedings.
The dispute involves an Israeli resident of the island and Kevin Dimino, a French national who operates Samui Exotic Park. According to Thai authorities, tensions began after a confrontation involving an Israeli tourist and Dimino. The zoo owner later displayed a Palestinian flag and signs stating that Israelis were not allowed to enter the park.
Israelis expelled from a zoo in Koh Samui earlier this month
(Video: Social media)
‘No Israelis’ sign next to a shooting target
(Photo: Social media)
An Israeli living on Koh Samui approached Dimino and asked him to remove the flag, but Dimino refused.
Videos later circulated online appearing to show Dimino confronting and headbutting the Israeli. Dimino, meanwhile, has claimed that threats against him escalated to the point that his mother's home in France was set on fire.
The dispute soon moved onto social media and into the courts. A Koh Samui court fined the Israeli 5,000 baht and handed him a two-year suspended sentence for making threats. Police are also investigating an allegation that another Israeli offered 500,000 baht for information that could lead to Dimino being harmed.
Thai authorities have warned that the personal conflict could develop into broader religious or ethnic tensions and damage Koh Samui's image as an international tourist destination. Officials have stressed, however, that they view the episode as a dispute between private individuals rather than a confrontation between Israeli tourists and local residents.
Authorities are now gathering information ahead of a provincial committee hearing that could examine whether the visas of both men should be revoked and whether they should be deported.
Security checkpoints have also been placed near the park and the homes of those involved since August 15 in an effort to prevent further confrontations.
Zoo owner's past draws scrutiny
The dispute has also brought renewed attention to previous statements attributed to Dimino.
According to SwordOfSalomon, an X account that tracks alleged antisemitic activity, Dimino is originally from Villeurbanne, France, and has previously referred to Jews as a “dirty race” and told them not to visit his business.
The account also claims that he called his workers a “Khomeini team” and previously physically confronted Jewish families from Israel and France who visited the park. Those allegations were made by the account and were not independently verified in the source material.
An earlier response posted on Dimino's Instagram account stated: “YES NO ISRAEL IN MY PARK IS CLEAR LIKE THAT,” explicitly saying Israelis were not allowed to enter.
In the same response, he argued that the policy stemmed from the behavior of Israeli visitors rather than from political motives.