Thai vendor confronts Israeli tourists, raises Palestinian flag

Jindarat, the 35-year-old owner of Samui Exotic Park, filed a police complaint against a group of Israeli tourists yesterday, August 24. The complaints revolve around alleged breaches of zoo rules and threats against the family and business. Jindarat accompanied her French husband, Kevin, to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) to seek legal action against the Israeli group members.

According to Jindarat, the tourists continually violated zoo rules by failing to pay admission fees, requesting refunds, and engaging in behaviors that could harm the animals. This led the zoo to post a flag and deny them entry, after which threatening messages began arriving. These messages threatened harm to her family and the destruction of her home and the zoo.

The tourists also allegedly claimed Koh Samui belonged to Israel, that they could do whatever they wished on the island, and that they knew several police officers and lawyers. Jindarat questioned whether anyone was secretly backing the group. Following the complaint, officers from multiple agencies inspected the zoo, examining documents related to the animals, the operating license, and construction.

Jindarat insisted everything was legal and that barring the group was to protect her property, not to provoke conflict with any nationality. She questioned why such actions should provoke threats or intimidation. Jindarat also expressed concern over threats to her mother-in-law in France, alleging the group threatened to burn down her home, which subsequently caught fire.

It remains unclear if anyone involved will have their visas revoked. A lawyer handling the case noted that visas cannot be immediately revoked without first investigating the allegations. Jindarat disputed claims that her side had a "wheelie" and said police did not hear her explanation and seized her motorcycle without showing her the video they claimed captured the incident.

She plans to present her own information and evidence to support her account. She also addressed footage showing her husband, who manages the zoo, outside another business involved in the dispute. Jindarat confirmed that Kevin went to the business but denied claims he threatened to prevent Israelis from staying on Koh Samui. She stated she has footage of Kevin arriving, speaking with others, and returning to his vehicle, and she is ready to release the full footage for police and the public to review.