Thai security forces found 89 Israeli children at an illegally operated preschool on the island of Koh Phangan, Thai media reported Saturday.
According to the Bangkok Post, the preschool, called Arki, was licensed to care for up to 18 children ages 2 to 5. In practice, authorities said, it was operating as a much larger school with more than 100 students from several countries, including 89 Israelis.
Authorities arrested an Iranian couple, Aydin Kishipour and Nadin Kishipour, both 45, and a Thai woman, Prathumthip Yuen, 61. They are suspected of illegally operating a private school, employing foreigners without work permits, failing to report foreign employees and violating child protection laws.
Several foreign teachers were also arrested on suspicion of working without permits and violating local employment rules. Authorities said some people at the site tried to flee during the raid.
The operation was carried out by police, immigration officers and local authorities after complaints circulated on social media about foreigners running an illegal educational institution.
The preschool’s website listed tuition of 64,000 baht per semester, but did not specify whether its curriculum was officially recognized.
Thai authorities said the investigation is continuing and that further legal action is being considered.
In recent years, many Israelis have moved to Thailand, drawn in part by lower living costs. Thai immigration authorities in March rejected claims circulating on social media that hundreds of thousands of Israelis had moved to the country because of the war in the Middle East, saying official figures showed 31,892 Israelis were in Thailand, most of them temporary tourists.