Israeli Man Fined for Death Threat Against Koh Samui Zoo Owner
An Israeli man was fined 5,000 baht by a Koh Samui court for posting a death threat against the owner of Samui Exotic Park on Facebook, after the zoo refused entry to Israeli visitors over alleged rule violations and non-payment of fees.
The Koh Samui Provincial Court has fined an Israeli man 5,000 baht for making a threat against the life of a Thai woman who operates a zoo on Koh Samui. Jindarat Sattayapun, owner of Samui Exotic Park, and Kevin, her French-Italian husband, filed a complaint after an Israeli man identified as Jacob posted a threat against her life on Facebook. Police arrested Jacob on 15 August after setting up a checkpoint in front of the zoo, and he was subsequently taken to court.
The court imposed a 5,000-baht fine with its enforcement suspended for two years and ordered the Israeli visitor to comply with Thai law. Police are also searching for another person who allegedly claimed he was offered a 500,000-baht bounty for the zoo owner's death. A separate Israeli national had posted a demand for Jindarat to close her zoo and leave Koh Samui.
The dispute began after an Israeli couple and their two children reportedly claimed they had been refused entry to Samui Exotic Park on 12 August. Jindarat explained that she had decided to refuse admission to Israeli visitors after alleging that several had failed to pay entrance fees, taken animal feed from other visitors' baskets, violated zoo rules, and squirted milk into the faces of her pigs. Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee said he had received reports of disputes between the Thai zoo operator and Israeli expatriates living on the island.
The dispute has also been linked to an arson attack in France. According to a French media report from 19 August, a car was set on fire at about 05:00 on Wednesday in Villeurbanne, near Lyon, with two Molotov cocktails reportedly found at the scene. The incident may have originated from the controversy in Thailand involving a young man from Villeurbanne who is reportedly associated with the zoo, though allegations of antisemitic conduct at the facility were not independently verified.
Samui Exotic Park has announced it no longer wants to receive Israeli visitors, a decision that has been criticized as discriminatory, while the park says it has been subjected to a campaign of harassment and denigration.
