Thailand issued a deportation order Monday against Kevin Dimino, the French manager of a zoo on Koh Samui who refused to admit Israelis, three days after authorities in the country also ordered the deportation of the Israeli man who confronted him.
Dimino, who operates the site with his Thai partner, is accused of “threats, harassment and physical violence” and of “sowing discord and inciting division on racial and religious grounds.”
Expulsion of Israelis from the Koh Samui zoo
(Photo: From social networks)
Dimino, who has lived in Thailand for more than a decade, has seven days to appeal the deportation decision.
“Let the government do its job, there is nothing to worry about,” he told AFP.
The incident began when Dimino displayed a Palestinian flag at the zoo along with signs stating that Israelis were not allowed to enter the park. A confrontation later developed with an Israeli who lives on the island, and videos circulated online showing Dimino attacking and head-butting him.
Sign at Thai zoo
(Photo: From social media)
The dispute quickly escalated beyond the zoo’s gates. Dimino claimed that he and his family had received threats and that his mother’s home in France had been set on fire. At the same time, police opened an investigation into a claim that an Israeli had offered 500,000 baht for information that would lead to harm being inflicted on the park manager.
Following the developments, authorities deployed security in the area and considered measures against those involved.
Thai authorities also had ordered the deportation of the Israeli involved in the dispute. He was convicted of “threatening behavior that caused fear and distress to another person,” and Thailand’s Interior Ministry determined that his conduct constituted a threat to public order and public peace.