Thailand orders Israeli deported after Koh Samui zoo dispute

Thailand's Interior Ministry determined that the conduct of the Israeli national threatened public order and welfare, leading to a deportation order signed on September 4 by Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. The move followed a ruling by the Koh Samui Provincial Court, which convicted the man of threatening Jindarat Sattayapun, the owner of Samui Exotic Park. The dispute originated when Kevin Dimino, the French husband of the owner, displayed a Palestinian flag at the zoo and barred Israelis from entering. Online videos appeared to show Dimino headbutting an Israeli man during a confrontation. Dimino has since claimed that his family received threats and that his mother's home in France was set on fire. Thai police are also investigating allegations that an Israeli offered 500,000 baht for information leading to harm against Dimino. The Israeli national, whose visa was revoked last week, has seven days to appeal the deportation order.