French Zoo Owner Flees After Thailand Deportation Order
French zoo owner Kevin Dimino fled after Thailand's prime minister signed a deportation order; Surat Thani immigration authorities are searching for him on Koh Samui.
Immigration authorities in Surat Thani are stepping up efforts to locate Kevin Dimino, the French owner of Samui Exotic Park on Koh Samui, after Thailand issued a deportation order signed by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. As of Tuesday, authorities had not been able to locate or arrest him. According to reports, around 1 p.m. on September 7, after the deportation order was issued, Dimino was seen driving a BMW sedan at high speed before parking at his zoo, exiting the vehicle, looking around the area, and then disappearing from view.
Surat Thani immigration officials are continuing to search for him. If detained, Dimino will be taken to Bo Phut Police Station pending procedures for his return to France. Authorities plan to keep him separate from Israeli national Yakov Ohayon, who is currently held at Koh Samui Police Station, to prevent further confrontations. Pol. Col. Naruwat Phutthawirot, superintendent of Surat Thani Immigration, is expected to exercise powers under Section 6 of the Deportation Act to take Dimino into custody.
Under deportation procedures, a person subject to a deportation order has the right to appeal to the prime minister within seven days of notification. Ohayon is reportedly seeking bail from the interior minister and is also preparing to appeal his own deportation order within the same seven-day period. The developments follow an ongoing dispute involving foreign nationals on Koh Samui.
