Surat Thani officials are seeking the visa revocation and deportation of an Israeli and a French man after a dispute involving a Palestinian flag escalated on Koh Samui.
Colonel Thitiphong Inwasa, deputy director of the Internal Security Operations Command in Surat Thani, said yesterday, August 22, that the dispute involves Jacob, an Israeli restaurant businessman, and Kevin, a French national who runs Samui Exotic Park.
According to Thitiphong, the dispute began after Israeli tourists visited Samui Exotic Park and became involved in an argument with him. Kevin displayed a Palestinian flag along with a sign welcoming Palestinians.
Jacob later contacted Kevin through an online chat and asked him to remove the flag, but Kevin refused. Their exchange developed into an argument and the chat messages were shared on social media, eventually leading to a police complaint.
Officials attempted to mediate the dispute and have the flag removed in an effort to ease tensions, but were unsuccessful.
The situation escalated further after an Israeli influencer based in France allegedly offered a 500,000 baht bounty for Kevin.
The Koh Samui Provincial Court has since fined Jacob 5,000 baht and handed him a suspended prison sentence with a two-year suspension period, according to the report.
Thitiphong said the dispute created perceptions that Israelis were threatening people on Koh Samui and that people on the island did not welcome Israeli tourists.
He maintained that the dispute was originally a personal conflict but said anti-Israel sentiment was being used as leverage in the disagreement, raising concerns that it could develop into a religious dispute.
Thitiphong stressed that Thailand welcomes tourists of all nationalities but said foreign nationals would not be allowed to bring personal conflicts into the country in ways that affect Koh Samui’s security and tourism industry.
Security officials are now gathering information to submit to a provincial committee seeking the visa revocation and deportation of both men. Thitiphong said the action was being considered because both sides had failed to cooperate and had contributed to a dispute that could expand into religious and racial tensions.
Police have maintained checkpoints outside Samui Exotic Park and the residences of both men since August 15 as a precaution against violence because the dispute remains unresolved.
Surat Thani Immigration found that Jacob has lived on Koh Samui for five years on a business visa and operates a restaurant.
Kevin, whose Thai wife is originally from Rayong province, has lived on Koh Samui for approximately nine years and operates Samui Exotic Park.
Khaosod reported that Kevin was previously prosecuted for riding a motorcycle on one wheel. On September 29 last year, the Koh Samui Provincial Court fined him 5,000 baht in that case.
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