Chachoengsao officials are investigating a proposed Jewish cemetery after an inspection found signs that as many as four bodies may already have been buried at the site, with officials preparing to pursue legal action.
The site is in Samed Tai subdistrict, Bang Khla district, Chachoengsao province, and has been linked to plans for a new Jewish cemetery reportedly capable of accommodating around 1,200 burials.
The proposal had drawn questions from people in the area over where the cemetery would be located and whether it could legally operate there.
The provincial governor previously ordered districts to check the site. Initial information indicated that no bodies had been buried there, before that account was later revised to say one burial had taken place.
Officials returned to inspect the property at about 3.30pm yesterday, September 4. The private company that owns the land provided written permission for officials to enter but did not allow media or representatives from private organisations to join the inspection.
Namphueng Khamsa-at, head of Samed Tai subdistrict and a village representative, joined officials inside the site.
She said officials found four apparent burial sites, including three that had been covered with concrete and another marked with stones and a sign showing the year 2025.
Namphueng also said a tent had been erected to obscure part of the area. The landowner urged officials to complete the inspection quickly and questioned why the permit could not be renewed, while maintaining that everything had been done legally.
Bang Khla district officials said they would definitely pursue legal action over the matter.
Kittipong Sileuang, president of the Samed Tai Subdistrict Administrative Organisation, said officials who participated in the inspection concluded that four bodies were found at the site.
He said available permit information appeared to cover one burial, while the other three were believed to have taken place after the permit expired.
Kittipong said those later burials therefore appeared not to comply with the permission previously granted. He said the local authority would pursue the matter within its powers and seek to have the bodies removed.
Thairath reported that locals also said they had previously seen people bringing what they described as a second body to the site for burial, although they had never met the landowner.
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The story Four bodies found at proposed Jewish cemetery in Chachoengsao as seen on Thaiger News.
