Interior Minister visits a northern tourist area to address the controversy surrounding Jewish tourists.
PUBLISHED: 26 Feb 2025 at 18: 11
Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Wednesday refuted reports that claimed Jewish travellers had “taken over” the resort city of Pai in northeastern Thailand, calling the says exaggerated.
There is no evidence of any safety threat, according to Mr. Anutin, who met with the Jewish adviser to Thailand, Orna Sagiv, during a visit to the area in Mae Hong Son state.
Citing the municipal government, he said reports about Jewish visitors had been blown out of proportion. He assured the general public that neither the public nor the local community were at risk from the customers.
He noted that Pai, a well-known holiday destination, has long attracted customers, some of whom stay for extended intervals or participate in local firms. He assured me that these readers follow the law and don’t present a threat to the neighborhood.
Mr. Anutin, who also serves as deputy prime minister, made the suggestion that social differences might have caused mistakes, but that efforts would be made to improve understanding.
Following a number of situations, some local occupants officially expressed reluctance to allowed Jewish visitors in Pai, following media reports of an influx of them.
Four Israelis forced their way into Pai Hospital’s crisis room after being denied entry following a motorcycle accident, which was the most commonly reported case.
The four were fined 3, 000 ringgit each, had their visitor visa revoked, and were immediately deported to Israel. Additionally, it has been for them to be forever barred from returning to Thailand.
Rabbi Nehemya Wilhelm, who accompanied Mr. Anutin to the Chabad House, a religious and community center where weekly Israeli prayer are held on Fridays and dishes are shared, introduced him to the area during his visit.
According to Rabbi Wilhelm, the center is available to anyone, though safety monitoring is in position. He made it clear that Thai citizens are not barred from entering the building.
He added that no complaints had been made about the community center, but that false reports had been circulated in Pai in recent days, claiming that up to 30 000 Jewish nationals lived there.
Rabbi Wilhelm refuted these statements, adding that only about 50 Israelis call the area home, and that about 30 000 Zionist tourists travel there year-round, usually for two to three weeks.
According to Ambassador Sagiv, about 20 Jewish people had established themselves in Pai, beginning with Thai citizens. She even expressed gratitude for the chance to interact with Thai locals.
She noted that before the Covid-19 crisis, about 200, 000 Jewish visitors visited Thailand each year — a quantity that has risen to around 300, 000 in recent years.
The embassy asked Thai visitors not to be stigmatized because of cultural differences, and recently issued guidelines for Jewish tourists.
There are six Chabad buildings in Thailand, including areas in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Samui, Koh Pha Ngan and Pai. Due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and Israeli attacks on Israelis overseas, security is limited at all of them.