Thailand Revokes Citizenship of Chabad Leader Amidst Growing Pressure

According to the Thai Ministry of Interior, Rabbi Kantor used his U.S. passport 16 times for travel to and from Australia, with the most recent instance occurring on January 26 of this year. Under Section 19(2) of the Thai Citizenship Act, the Minister of Interior is empowered to revoke citizenship from naturalized individuals if they continue to actively use their prior nationality.

According to Hamal, this decision comes amid an unprecedented wave of investigations, raids, and public criticism targeting Chabad and the Jewish community in Thailand. In early October, a joint operation involving the Department of Special Investigations, police, and tax authorities raided multiple Chabad locations in Bangkok, including the "Gan Chabad" offices and the Association of Thai Jews, seizing documents and examining company records. Additionally, protests featuring anti-Israeli slogans have occurred against Chabad in Phuket, leading community sources to view the citizenship revocation as an escalation of pressure on Israelis and Jews in the country.