A week after Israelis were expelled from a zoo on Koh Samui and said they were violently attacked, Thai authorities fined an Israeli man for allegedly threatening the zoo’s owners: An Israeli identified as “Yaakov” was fined 5,000 baht, equivalent to about 450 shekels ($140), after police said he threatened Jindarat Satiyaphon, the owner of Samui Exotic Park. Police are continuing to search for another man who allegedly offered a 500,000-baht ($14,000) reward for harming her.
The expulsion of Israelis from the Koh Samui zoo
(Footage: From social media)
The incident began after an Israeli family said they were barred from entering the zoo on Aug. 12 and that the owner, a French citizen, violently attacked the father. The zoo’s owners later said they had received death threats. Following the threats, police set up a checkpoint near the site on Aug. 15, and the Israeli man was arrested Friday.
The zoo owner said she decided to bar Israelis after previous incidents in which, according to her, Israeli visitors refused to pay, took food from other visitors’ bags and even sprayed milk on pigs. She also claimed that one Israeli visitor demanded that she close the zoo and leave the island.
At the same time, authorities are investigating a separate case involving the park’s French owner and his Thai wife, following posts on social media and signs placed at the entrance. They included a Palestinian flag with the words “Free Palestine,” alongside an Israeli flag and signs viewed as offensive toward Israelis.
A 'No Entry' sign for Israelis posted at the entrance to the zoo
(Photo: From social media)
A video posted online shows a sign featuring an Israeli flag and a “No Entry” symbol next to an image of a shooting target. Authorities said they are examining the allegations and facts before determining whether any law was broken. The Interior Ministry stressed that legal and security protections on Koh Samui would be provided equally to people of all nationalities.
According to SwordOfSalomon, an X account focused on documenting antisemitic persecution, the zoo owner is a Frenchman from the city of Villeurbanne. The account said he had previously called Jews a “dirty race” and urged them not to visit his business. He also referred to his employees as the “Khomeini team.” According to the same account, he had also physically attacked Jewish families from Israel and France who visited the site in the past.
His Instagram account previously featured a response to a review that explicitly stated: “YES NO ISRAEL IN MY PARK IS CLEAR LIKE THAT” — indicating that Israelis were not permitted to enter. In the same response, he later claimed, despite evidence cited against him, that the policy stemmed from the behavior of Israelis who had visited the park in the past rather than from a political motive.