A French-Thai couple who own Samui Exotic Park in Surat Thani claim their family home in France was set on fire after they banned Israeli nationals from entering their business.
The couple, a Thai woman named Jindarat and her French husband Kevin, have been at the centre of a dispute involving Israeli tourists who alleged that they were unfairly refused entry to the park because of their nationality.
The Israeli family reportedly approached media outlets in Israel to complain about their experience during a trip to Koh Samui.
The family alleged that they were refused entry to the zoo because they were Israeli. The father also claimed that he and his wife were physically assaulted by park staff during the incident.
Jindarat and Kevin later addressed the allegations and admitted that Israeli nationals had been banned from entering the park. They also installed a sign reading “Free Palestine” in front of the business.
Jindarat said the ban followed several incidents involving Israeli visitors whom she accused of entering the park without paying, mistreating animals, cutting queues and disturbing other visitors.
She also claimed that she and her family had received death threats from an Israeli man. According to Jindarat, the man claimed that someone had offered him 500,000 baht to kill her and Kevin.
Thailand’s Ministry of Interior subsequently became involved in the dispute and said it would conduct an investigation. The matter remains under investigation.
The dispute took another turn on August 19 when Jindarat and Kevin revealed that their family home in France was damaged by fire. The couple said the fire broke out at about 4am. Kevin’s mother was reportedly inside the property but managed to escape safely.
Jindarat and Kevin believe the fire was connected to the earlier dispute and suspected Israeli nationals were responsible. They said they had recently received a threat relating to a fire.
However, the identities of any suspects and the cause of the blaze have not been established.
Jindarat later shared photographs on Facebook showing damage to the property after the fire had been brought under control.
She also addressed claims that the incident was fake news, insisting that the fire had genuinely occurred at their family home in France and had damaged the property.
The couple has not yet provided details about any legal action taken in France over the fire. No suspects have reportedly been identified in connection with the incident.
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