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Israeli family says Koh Samui park refused entry

An Israeli family visiting Koh Samui says it was refused entry to Samui Exotic Park in Mae Nam because of its nationality, before a confrontation with a man representing the attraction.

Videos shared online on 14 August show the family, who were accompanied by two young daughters, challenging staff at the park entrance. Later posts on the park's official Instagram Story appeared to endorse the exclusion of Israeli visitors.

Family records confrontation

Footage filmed by the mother, and widely circulated online, begins with her speaking to staff behind a counter.

"Because we're from Israel? What have we done to you? We haven't done anything," she says in the recording.

IMG_0209.png

Picture courtesy of Khoasod

The footage then cuts to a man described as representing the zoo telling the family to leave. "Okay, bye. Bye-bye," he says.

When the woman asks for his name, the man responds with profanity. As she repeats the question, he approaches the group and says: "Move off my place."

The man then appears to attempt to headbutt the woman's husband. She replies, "Okay, okay, we're leaving. We're leaving," before he throws a small white sign in her direction while she continues recording.

Park account posts anti-Israeli imagery

Samui Exotic Park also posted silent CCTV footage of the confrontation, filmed from behind the counter. The wider-angle video appears to show the family, including the two girls, leaving the entrance area after the dispute.

Further Instagram Stories on the park's official account appeared to reinforce its position. One clip showed an Israeli flag carrying a red no-entry symbol beside a shooting target marked with holes.

As the camera moved from the sign to a nearby Free Palestine flag, the person filming could be heard whistling.

Those later posts do not independently confirm the family's account of events before recording began. However, they appeared to show that the attraction's official social-media account supported refusing Israeli visitors after the confrontation.

The park had previously drawn online criticism for displaying Palestinian flags and a "Free Palestine" sign. At that time, Samui Exotic Park said it welcomed visitors of all nationalities, while expecting guests to respect its rules.


Related story

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15 August 2026

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Patong2021 Diamond Member

Patong2021

Advanced Member
3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

This is a concept known as blowback, they belong to a nationality that's extremely unpopular these days and there are ramifications. When you come from a nation where the majority of the population serves in the army and commits atrocities against a defenseless civilian population including women and children, there's bound to be some blowback.

This appears to be a private part and all owners have the right to refuse admission to anybody they like.

No. It is not blowback. It is a wrongful act.

Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand B.E. 2560 (2017), Thailand

CHAPTER III. Section 27:

All persons are equal before the law, and shall have rights and liberties and be protected equally under the law. Men and women shall enjoy equal rights. Unjust discrimination against a person on the grounds of differences in origin, race, language, sex, age, disability, physical or health condition, personal status, economic and social standing, religious belief, education, or political view which is not contrary to the provisions of the Constitution, or on any other grounds shall not be permitted.

The government haspreviously stated that discrimination based upon religion is unacceptable.

goatfarmer Silver Member

goatfarmer

Advanced Member
19 minutes ago, MisterTee said:

I would assume that the Palestinians had land titles of some sort under the Ottoman's and later during the British Mandate.

If you can prove that wrong, I'll stand corrected.

Around two thirds of the land is unregistered, giving rise to plenty of disputes. But the issue I was referring to is sovereignty, not private ownership.

Roughly 33% to 38% of the land in the West Bank is formally registered with clear title.

  • The Historical Base (~33%): When Jordan ruled the West Bank (1948–1967), it carried out a formal land registration campaign (Tapu), but only completed about one-third of the territory before Israel occupied the region in 1967 and froze registration proceedings under Military Order 291.

  • Palestinian Authority (PA) Progress (~38%): Since the PA began its own property settlement initiatives in Areas A and B in recent years, formal registration across the entire West Bank has edged up closer to 38%.

  • The Unregistered Majority (~62%–67%): Roughly two-thirds of the West Bank remains unregistered. Property in these areas is held using informal deeds, tax receipts (Maliyya), customary contracts, or legacy Ottoman/British declarations rather than direct land registry titles.

  • Area C Concentration: The vast majority of unregistered land sits within Area C (which covers about 60% of the West Bank), precisely where Israel's cabinet decision aims to launch state-driven land registration.

Srikcir Ruby Member

Srikcir

Advanced Member
3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

I would ban myself on principle

Does your principle cover subversion of a nation's sovereignty, genocide and war crimes?

harvardgrad Senior Member

harvardgrad

Member
(edited)
3 minutes ago, goatfarmer said:

Around two thirds of the land is unregistered, giving rise to plenty of disputes. But the issue I was referring to is sovereignty, not private ownership.

Roughly 33% to 38% of the land in the West Bank is formally registered with clear title.

  • The Historical Base (~33%): When Jordan ruled the West Bank (1948–1967), it carried out a formal land registration campaign (Tapu), but only completed about one-third of the territory before Israel occupied the region in 1967 and froze registration proceedings under Military Order 291.

  • Palestinian Authority (PA) Progress (~38%): Since the PA began its own property settlement initiatives in Areas A and B in recent years, formal registration across the entire West Bank has edged up closer to 38%.

  • The Unregistered Majority (~62%–67%): Roughly two-thirds of the West Bank remains unregistered. Property in these areas is held using informal deeds, tax receipts (Maliyya), customary contracts, or legacy Ottoman/British declarations rather than direct land registry titles.

  • Area C Concentration: The vast majority of unregistered land sits within Area C (which covers about 60% of the West Bank), precisely where Israel's cabinet decision aims to launch state-driven land registration.

Wow so not only is Israel's defending itself not "illegal" but neither is the occupation of this land.

Finally learned something new after browsing this place for years. I'll take the word of a goat farmer over the scholars and experts any day of the week

Edited by harvardgrad

riverhigh Silver Member

riverhigh

Advanced Member

I have an immediate dislike for this individual in the video. Lacking in social awareness and no respect for Thai culture or laws. Thailand wants to be known as a welcoming tourist destination and this is exactly what Thailand does not need nor want! Deport and ban for life, there is no room for these waving flag individuals.

khunPer Diamond Member

khunPer

Advanced Member

Same-same, but different: Before it was entry-signs with 'No Chinese' due to their reputation of bad behaviour.

Easy solution: Find another place that accept Israelites as visitors...👍

L- Lifeline Silver Member

L- Lifeline

Advanced Member
3 hours ago, save the frogs said:

No one is supposed to even know or ask where you are from in the first place.

I guess once the restaurant owner hears people speaking .... then what? The restaurant owner identifies where you are from and goes up to them and asks them to leave in the middle of their meal?

Ideally, politics should not mix with tourism. But human beings are emotional and irrational creatures.

A farang asked me where I was from out of nowhere the other day. Why is he so eager to know this above all else? People are all prejudiced. You would be surprised how many Brits and Aussies hate Americans and vice versa out there.

You won't see Brit business owners banning American diners, but it doesn't mean they don't secretly hate you while they bring you your English Breakfast.

It really is a tough subject- my concern is that it is the Israelis' now- who next and will anyone object?

Then it is simply a matter of time before sooner or later you are the one being subjected to such treatment

save the frogs Star Member

save the frogs

Advanced Member
1 minute ago, L- Lifeline said:

It really is a tough subject- my concern is that it is the Israelis' now- who next and will anyone object?

Then it is simply a matter of time before sooner or later you are the one being subjected to such treatment

Well, the Israeli situation is a rather extreme one.

But technically, yes.

L- Lifeline Silver Member

L- Lifeline

Advanced Member
9 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Well, the Israeli situation is a rather extreme one.

But technically, yes.

There is no right or wrong really- but I agree with you

I love the quote from Edmund Bure- " For evil to triumph good men just have to stand and say nothing"

connda Star Member

connda

Advanced Member

I remember a time when "The Ugly Americans" got the cold shoulder on a global scale due to its military adventurism including civilian human rights violations.
Now Israelis get the cold shoulder on a global scale due to its military adventurism including civilian human rights violations.

Take advice from a Yank. Just tell people you're Canadian.
“Eh, this is nice. Almost as nice as sittin’ in a heated car waitin’ for the engine to warm up in January with a cold Molson between your legs so we can go oot and aboot."
or
"Eh hoser, you folks have any Moosehead beer here, 'eh?"



ravip Star Member

ravip

Advanced Member

Continually creating or escalating problems may ultimately lead to widespread international rejection. It is worth reflecting on the consequences of such actions and considering what has happened to Muslim communities.

Jingthing Legendary Member

Jingthing

Advanced Member
3 hours ago, Farangfoodie said:

I am American and I am Jewish. While i draw a distinction between individuals and government, I can't get too upset about this. Israelis can't support or toleerate their government practicing apartheid and genocide and expect to be welcome all over the world.

Expressing "progressive" knee jerk anti-Israel views along with the Tiki Tok buzzwords won't save Jews from the rising international wave of racist Jew hatred. If you actually believe that this hatred is only about Israel and not about Jews, I pity your naivete.

Jingthing Legendary Member

Jingthing

Advanced Member
1 hour ago, Srikcir said:

Does your principle cover subversion of a nation's sovereignty, genocide and war crimes?

Yes.

Sounds like you're speaking about Putin.

Tourists are not their governments.

Next

...

ronnie50 Platinum Member

ronnie50

Advanced Member
53 minutes ago, L- Lifeline said:

my concern is that it is the Israelis' now- who next and will anyone object?

Before Covid, Chinese tourists were banned from some places due to documented inappropriate behavior of some.

As for the Israelis, regardless of how they voted, they are collective outcasts now due to the extermination of Gazans and their government's obvious annexation plans of Gaza, West Bank and even Lebanon. But they have also really annoyed Thais by aggresively moving in to an area en mass and then setting up illegal businesses. They also come across as very aloof.

So who's next? Well, the Israelis are hard to beat. No one else comes to mind at present.

hughrection Silver Member

hughrection

Advanced Member
2 hours ago, goatfarmer said:

Quite right. Those alleging genocide know nothing about the evidentiary standard required to infer genocidal intent (dolus specialis) and merely claim that "all of the world's experts and scholars say blah... therefore blah". They misuse the term as a political slogan.

As for the bogus claim of apartheid, that is a crime based on race, not on statelessness. There are more than 70 countries in the world that have stateless populations, Thailand included. Are any of these other states labelled 'apartheid'? And how did all of those Arabs in the West Bank become stateless? Who deprived them of their citizenship?

OK, but for now, we can only go on the following ....

United Nations Bodies: The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry and various UN experts have issued reports asserting that Israel's actions in Gaza fulfill criteria of the 1948 Genocide Convention, citing mass casualties, the destruction of vital infrastructure, and the restriction of food and medical aid.

  1. Scholarly and NGO Consensus: The International Association of Genocide Scholars passed a resolution stating that the threshold for genocide has been met. Several international and Israeli human rights organizations, such as B'Tselem and Amnesty International, have similarly concluded that the conduct of the war amounts to genocide.

If Israeli human rights organisations agree that genocide has happened, then I think we can accept their findings, don't you?

PoorSucker Star Member

PoorSucker

Advanced Member
1 hour ago, khunPer said:

Same-same, but different: Before it was entry-signs with 'No Chinese' due to their reputation of bad behaviour.

Easy solution: Find another place that accept Israelites as visitors...👍

@khunPer , like Americans in the 40s , we don't serve your colour of skin here.

Sit in the back of the bus, don't use our toilets....

Really ...is this what you want?

khunPer Diamond Member

khunPer

Advanced Member
2 minutes ago, PoorSucker said:

@khunPer , like Americans in the 40s , we don't serve your colour of skin here.

Sit in the back of the bus, don't use our toilets....

Really ...is this what you want?

TiT, behave or leave — got nothing to do with what I want — and by the way, several Israelites also don't want others in the their territory; did you read the news story about the Israelites in Thailand saying to the Thai authorities that they could not enter the property, as it was Israel-property.

ronnie50 Platinum Member

ronnie50

Advanced Member
Just now, khunPer said:

TiT, behave or leave — got nothing to do with what I want — and by the way, several Israelites also don't want others in the their territory; did you read the news story about the Israelites in Thailand saying to the Thai authorities that they could not enter the property, as it was Israel-property.

Lots of countries don't want them. Israeli passport holders are banned from:

  1. Algeria

  2. Bangladesh

  3. Brunei

  4. Iran

  5. Iraq (except Iraqi Kurdistan with special clearance)

  6. Kuwait

  7. Lebanon

  8. Libya

  9. Malaysia (unless holding special government permission)

  10. Pakistan

  11. Saudi Arabia (some exceptions for VIPs)

  12. Syria

  13. Yemen

Several also won't allow anyone into their countries if they even have an Israeli stamp in their passport.

saintdomingo Gold Member

saintdomingo

Advanced Member
(edited)
5 hours ago, save the frogs said:

No one is supposed to even know or ask where you are from in the first place.

I guess once the restaurant owner hears people speaking .... then what? The restaurant owner identifies where you are from and goes up to them and asks them to leave in the middle of their meal?

Ideally, politics should not mix with tourism. But human beings are emotional and irrational creatures.

A farang asked me where I was from out of nowhere the other day. Why is he so eager to know this above all else? People are all prejudiced. You would be surprised how many Brits and Aussies hate Americans and vice versa out there.

You won't see Brit business owners banning American diners, but it doesn't mean they don't secretly hate you while they bring you your English Breakfast.

Strange post, or just an opportunity to unjustifiably stir up a bit of anti-Brit feeling.?

Edited by saintdomingo

diveasia666 Senior Member

diveasia666

Member

Figures, nobody likes their up nose attitude.

Dan O Ruby Member

Dan O

Advanced Member
9 hours ago, TedG said:

This should be illegal.

As a private establishment they have the right to refuse service to anyone. There's a more appropriate way to go about it though.

Jingthing Legendary Member

Jingthing

Advanced Member
11 minutes ago, diveasia666 said:

Figures, nobody likes their up nose attitude.

So you mean Jews.

Not Israelis.

The sneaky nose reference is the giveaway.

Thingamabob Diamond Member

Thingamabob

Restricted-N
2 hours ago, MisterTee said:

Spot on.

Just imagine if a Nazi family in the 1930s were denied service somewhere abroad.

The exact same logic applies in this case.

Radical Zionists and their cheerleaders are living in a fantasy world.

The suggestion that Zionists are similar to the Nazis is heavily ironic, and ridiculous.

Dan O Ruby Member

Dan O

Advanced Member
7 hours ago, jacko45k said:

It surprises me. Thailand is usually known for sitting on the fence and not taking sides. Everyone's money is welcome. There is some non-Thai input here. I

2 hours ago, harvardgrad said:

Wow so not only is Israel's defending itself not "illegal" but neither is the occupation of this land.

Finally learned something new after browsing this place for years. I'll take the word of a goat farmer over the scholars and experts any day of the week

You need to learn to read. No where is there indication its legal. Harvard grad hahahaha

placnx Platinum Member

placnx

Advanced Member
3 hours ago, goatfarmer said:

Quite right. Those alleging genocide know nothing about the evidentiary standard required to infer genocidal intent (dolus specialis) and merely claim that "all of the world's experts and scholars say blah... therefore blah". They misuse the term as a political slogan.

As for the bogus claim of apartheid, that is a crime based on race, not on statelessness. There are more than 70 countries in the world that have stateless populations, Thailand included. Are any of these other states labelled 'apartheid'? And how did all of those Arabs in the West Bank become stateless? Who deprived them of their citizenship?

Palestine is recognized as a state by around 150 countries.

The ICJ ordered Israel to evacuate the Occupied Palestinian Territories in July 2024. It has also ruled against Israel on the apartheid question. Human Rights Watch, founded by Aryeh Neier, a Jew, has published a 200 page report on apartheid:

https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2021/04/israel_palestine0421_web_0.pdf

Pages 146-169 concern apartheid in Israel itself (as opposed to West Bank, Gaza, and easy Jerusalem).

As for genocide, the final ruling at ICJ takes years, but the ICJ has ordered Israel not to commit genocide while it considers the evidence for a final, unappealable judgement.

stevenl Star Member

stevenl

Advanced Member
1 hour ago, Jeff the Chef said:

When are the Jews going to realise that they are no different to the rest of Humanity, not special or chosen but Human Beings?

Israel, the proclaimed home of the Jews are taking over others Territories, bombing, killing and maiming the people of those areas, against International Laws, like them or not, those Laws are all we have to work with. Yes, we know you were attacked on the 7th, but how many times before that did you attack others?

Gone are the days when nobody cared or saw what Israel did, now that the WWW is supplying real time news and information live, day in day out, your transgressions are available for all to see, and the rest of Humanity does not like what Israel is doing.

Whilst I agree blaming all Jews worldwide is wrong, it is understandable, and Israel's behavior is part of the problem.

Don't forget that many of the Israeli coming to Thailand have been in the IDF, often recently. They have seen atrocities or are responsible for atrocities. That does affect their behaviour.

stevenl Star Member

stevenl

Advanced Member
22 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

The suggestion that Zionists are similar to the Nazis is heavily ironic, and ridiculous.

Ironic, yes; ridiculous, not any more unfortunately.

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