Thai authorities have ordered the deportation of an Israeli national involved in a bitter dispute with the French manager of a zoo on Koh Samui, after he was convicted of threatening the park’s Thai owner.
Thailand’s Interior Ministry determined that the Israeli’s conduct threatened public order, morality and public welfare, paving the way for his removal from the country. The deportation order was signed on September 4 by Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.
Israeli family expelled from Koh Samui zoo
The decision followed a ruling by the Koh Samui Provincial Court, which found the Israeli guilty under Section 392 of Thailand’s Criminal Code of threatening conduct that caused another person fear or distress. He was convicted of threatening the life of Jindarat Sattayapun, the owner of Samui Exotic Park, whose French husband, Kevin Dimino, had previously expelled an Israeli family from the zoo and was filmed confronting and headbutting an Israeli man.
The court initially sentenced the Israeli to one month in prison and fined him 10,000 baht. After he admitted the offense, the punishment was reduced by half, leaving him with a 15-day prison sentence and a 5,000-baht fine. He was also given a two-year suspended sentence.
Thai authorities subsequently ruled that his conduct violated standards of public order and welfare and ordered his deportation under the country’s 1956 deportation law.
The Israeli can appeal the deportation order to the prime minister and request that its implementation be suspended. The appeal must be filed within seven days of receiving official notification of the order.
Thailand had already revoked his visa last week as part of an increasingly tough approach toward foreign visitors who break the law or become involved in confrontations that authorities say could threaten public order.
Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul said authorities in Surat Thani province, which includes Koh Samui, had reported the case to the government, leading to the cancellation of the Israeli’s permission to remain in Thailand. He described the step as an effort to prevent the dispute from escalating further.
The affair began at Samui Exotic Park, operated by Dimino and his Thai wife. Dimino displayed a Palestinian flag at the zoo and signs saying Israelis were not allowed to enter. A confrontation later developed with an Israeli resident of the island, and videos circulated online appearing to show Dimino attacking and headbutting him.
The dispute quickly spread beyond the zoo. Dimino said he and his family received threats and claimed that his mother’s home in France was later set on fire. Thai police also opened an investigation into an allegation that an Israeli offered 500,000 baht for information that could lead to Dimino being harmed.
As tensions intensified, authorities deployed security around the area and began considering immigration measures against those involved, warning that what began as a personal dispute risked escalating into a broader confrontation on an island heavily dependent on international tourism.