UPDATE Four bodies found at Jewish cemetery in Chachoengsao Pictures courtesy of Daily News Officials have inspected a Jewish cemetery in Bang Khla district, Chachoengsao, after concerns were raised by local residents and found four bodies, including three said to have been buried after the site's permit had expired. The inspection took place on September 4 at the cemetery in Moo 2, Samet Tai subdistrict. A representative of the company linked to the site opened its gate for Bang Khla district officials, Samet Tai Subdistrict Administrative Organisation staff, Bang Khla police and local leaders. The local authority had contacted the company after the cemetery became the subject of social-media discussion. Inspectors find three additional graves Officials initially believed there was only one body at the site, for which permission had previously been sought. However, they found three further graves inside a blue tent. Two of those graves had been covered with cement and had name plaques, similar to the grave outside the tent. The third had been buried in the ground, marked only by stones around the plot and a temporary handwritten name sign. Authorities said the three graves inside the tent appeared to have been added in late 2025. Samet Tai kamnan Namphueng Kamsa-at said two were buried late last year, while the third appeared more recent because no cement structure had yet been built around it. She said the tent appeared intended to prevent people outside from seeing the graves. During the inspection, the man representing the company remained at a distance and did not approach the burial plots, she said, shouting: "Aren't you afraid of ghosts?" Residents call for bodies to be moved Local resident Nuanphan Chaengcharoen, 53, called on authorities to quickly move the bodies out of the community. She said villagers had complained to several agencies and wanted action against the company and those involved. Nuanphan also questioned the location of the cemetery, saying its original permission application identified Moo 4 in Samet Tai, while the cemetery was built in Moo 2. She said residents might not have known the site was being used as a cemetery had a body not been brought into the area. Dr Kittipong Sileuang, president of the Samet Tai Subdistrict Administrative Organisation, said officials had found an alleged breach involving bodies brought in for burial after the permit expired. He said the authority would file a complaint at Bang Khla Police Station against the company. Initially, the matter was considered an offence under the Public Health Act, while officials will examine whether other laws also apply. Kittipong said the company would be asked to remove the tent. Temporary tents may be erected for up to 10 days, but beyond that they are treated as structures requiring permission, he said. The investigation into the operation of site remains ongoing. 5 September 2026
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