Answers are demanded: an investigation has been opened against the Chabad house on Phuket Island

Turmoil in Thailand: The authorities in the Phuket province ordered the opening of a comprehensive and urgent seven-day investigation into the activities of the Patong Chabad house. At the center of the investigation: the purchase of the land, the building permits, the commercial activity in the place and possible connections between the shareholders of the place and a company related to the Jewish cemetery project.

The dramatic instruction was given by the Governor of Phuket, Chutnarin Kardasom, following the instructions given by the Deputy Minister of the Interior Polfri Swanchawi. According to the spokeswoman of the Thai government, Phloitlai Laksmiseng, all the relevant agencies were asked to thoroughly check all the land use permits, construction permits and commercial licenses related to the various commercial activities that are conducted within the Chabad house complex.

But here the story takes another interesting turn: as part of the investigation, the authorities will try to find out if there is an overlap between the shareholders of the organization and the shareholders of the company behind the project of a Jewish cemetery on the island. Preliminary tests that have already been carried out show that the cemetery company was established by three Israeli citizens who also hold Thai citizenship, and who own the land in question.

However, the government is trying to calm the spirits and emphasize that the investigation will be conducted solely according to Thai law, and that its purpose is to ensure compliance with local regulations only, and not to mark or target a certain nationality or any religious group. The district director promises that upon completion of the test, the full results will be published to the public.

The timing of this investigation does not come in a vacuum, but against a background of active local opposition ahead of the Rosh Hashanah event that the organization planned to hold on September 11. Following the preparations for the event, the local activist group Protect Phuket Land even submitted an official petition to the district authorities demanding that the event be re-examined, citing concerns regarding public safety, the community and tourism, when the protest did manage to cancel the event.

It is important to note that this inspection fits into a stricter and broader policy that the Thai authorities are conducting against illegal foreign corporate structures and the phenomenon of straw men (nominees) in company ownership. The official data shows that in Phuket alone, over 32,000 legal corporations are currently registered, of which more than 11,000 include foreign shareholders. The strict regulatory oversight that was recently introduced has already led to a sharp drop of more than 60 percent in the registration of new companies with foreign shareholders, along with a jump of about 30 percent in cancellations of registration of companies throughout the province.