Israeli Fined in Thailand After Zoo Incident as Police Hunt Suspect Offering Reward

A week after Israeli visitors were expelled from Samui Exotic Park in Koh Samui, Thailand, and claimed they were violently attacked, Thai authorities fined an Israeli man named Yaakov 5,000 baht (approximately 450 shekels) for allegedly threatening the zoo owner, Jindarat Satayaphon. The police continue to search for another individual suspected of offering a 500,000 baht (45,000 shekels) reward for harming the same woman.

The incident began on August 12 when an Israeli family said they were denied entry to the zoo and that the French owner physically assaulted the family patriarch. Following these claims, the zoo owners reported receiving threats to their lives. A police checkpoint was set up near the park on August 15, and Yaakov was arrested yesterday.

Jindarat stated that she decided to ban Israelis due to previous incidents where Israeli visitors allegedly refused to pay, took food from other visitors' bags, and even sprayed milk on pigs. She also said one Israeli visitor demanded she close the park and leave the island.

Separately, authorities are investigating the French owner and his Thai wife over social media posts and signs at the park entrance displaying a Palestinian flag with "Free Palestine," alongside an Israeli flag and signs deemed offensive to Israelis. A video showed a sign with an Israeli flag, a "No Entry" mark, and a shooting target symbol. Officials are reviewing the facts before determining any legal violations.

The Interior Ministry emphasized that legal and security protections in Koh Samui apply equally to all nationalities. According to SwordOfSalomon, an X account monitoring antisemitism, the French owner from Villeurbanne previously called Jews a "dirty race" and barred them from his business. He also reportedly physically attacked Jewish families from Israel and France and referred to his staff as a "Khomeinist team." His Instagram once explicitly stated, "YES NO ISRAEL IN MY PARK IS CLEAR LIKE THAT," though he later claimed the policy was due to past Israeli visitors' behavior, not political motives.