Zoo director also in danger: Israeli attacked at dream destination — will they be deported?
A dispute between an Israeli citizen and the French director of a zoo on Koh Samui, who bans Israelis, has reached the courts. After the Israeli claimed he was attacked and the zoo director complained that his mother's house was set on fire, Thai authorities are considering deporting both.
Thai authorities are considering revoking the residency visas and deporting two foreign citizens — an Israeli and a Frenchman — following a personal conflict that began over the raising of a Palestinian flag on the island of Koh Samui, escalated into a physical confrontation, and continued with threats online. According to the authorities, the conflict began after a dispute between an Israeli tourist and Kevin Dimino, a French businessman who manages the Samui Exotic Park zoo. Subsequently, the Frenchman placed a Palestinian flag and signs indicating that there is no entry for Israelis to the place. An Israeli living on the island approached him and asked to remove the flag, but he refused.
Videos were published online in which the Frenchman is seen attacking the Israeli and headbutting him, while he simultaneously claims that due to threats, his mother's house in France was set on fire. The confrontation led to legal proceedings. The court in Koh Samui fined the Israeli 5,000 baht and gave him a two-year suspended sentence for threats. At the same time, the police are investigating a claim that another Israeli offered a sum of 500,000 baht for information that would lead to harming him.
Thai authorities warn that the personal conflict could escalate into wider tension on religious or ethnic grounds and damage Koh Samui's image as an international tourist destination. However, they emphasize that this is a conflict between private individuals and not a confrontation between Israeli tourists and the island's residents. Thai authorities are now collecting information ahead of a hearing at the district committee, which will examine the revocation of visas and the deportation of both involved parties. Since August 15, security checkpoints have been placed near the park and near the homes of those involved to prevent further confrontations.
The background of the zoo director
According to SwordOfSalomon, a page on the X network that tracks antisemites, the zoo owner is a French citizen named Kevin Dimino, originally from the city of Villeurbanne. In the past, he called Jews a "dirty race" and called on them to avoid his business, while referring to his employees as "Khomeini's team." According to the same source, he has physically attacked Jewish families from Israel and France in the past. In his Instagram account, he previously responded to criticism by writing: "YES NO ISRAEL IN MY PARK IS CLEAR LIKE THAT." Despite evidence to the contrary, he claims the policy stems from the behavior of past Israeli visitors rather than political motives.
