Frenchman Kevin Dimino disappears as immigration officers hunt him across Koh Samui after a deportation order. Israeli businessman Yaacov “Jacob” Ohayon is already in custody, with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordering both men out of Thailand.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered two long-term Koh Samui foreign residents deported after a bitter dispute involving threats, violence, a Palestinian flag, online attacks and criminal convictions. Israeli businessman Yaacov “Jacob” Ohayon is already in police custody awaiting removal, while French animal park owner Kevin Dimino has disappeared as immigration officers hunt him for formal notification. The extraordinary case has also drawn in police checkpoints, a ฿500,000 bounty claim, a firebomb attack on Dimino’s mother’s home in France and Thailand’s newly streamlined deportation regime. Neither man has yet been confirmed as physically deported, and both retain seven-day appeal rights after formal notification. However, a reversal is thought unlikely.
A French businessman ordered deported by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has disappeared on Koh Samui. Immigration officers were urgently searching for him on Monday after failing to locate him. Kevin Dimino has operated an exotic animal cafe on the island for approximately nine years. However, officers believe he may be hiding after learning that his deportation order had been signed.
Meanwhile, Israeli businessman Yaacov “Jacob” Ohayon is already in custody at Koh Samui Police Station. He is being held while awaiting deportation following an earlier order signed by Mr Anutin. Crucially, neither foreigner has yet been confirmed as physically deported from Thailand. Both also retain seven-day appeal rights following formal notification.
The two orders mark a dramatic conclusion to an extraordinary dispute involving two long-term foreign residents. The confrontation began at Mr Dimino’s Samui Exotic Park before spreading across the island. It involved threats, physical incidents, a Palestinian flag and accusations of organised online attacks. Subsequently, police checkpoints, criminal cases and government intervention followed.
Frenchman disappears on Koh Samui as immigration officers move to serve Prime Minister’s deportation order
Yet the immediate positions of the two men are strikingly different. Mr Ohayon is already in custody and awaiting the next stage. Mr Dimino, by contrast, must first be found and formally notified. Surat Thani immigration officers were still trying to establish his whereabouts on Monday evening.
Reporters visiting the animal attraction found no sign of Mr Dimino. The property was unusually quiet, with no tourists or visible activity involving staff. His Thai wife was also absent from view. Notably, immigration officers believe Mr Dimino already knows about the deportation order. They suspect he may therefore be deliberately keeping out of sight.
Mr Anutin signed the Interior Ministry order against Mr Dimino on September 7. The Prime Minister also serves as Minister of Interior. The order cited intimidation, harassment, physical assault and behaviour causing a public nuisance. In addition, officials cited conduct creating racial and religious divisions among foreigners and tourists. Reckless behaviour capable of endangering people was also included.
Those findings go considerably beyond Mr Dimino’s underlying criminal conviction. Koh Samui Provincial Court convicted him under Sections 43(4), 43(8) and 158/1 of the Land Traffic Act. Initially, the court imposed a ฿10,000 fine. His guilty plea subsequently reduced the penalty to ฿5,000. The court also ordered confiscation of a seized item.
Small traffic fine gives way to deportation order as Frenchman faces removal after nine years on Samui
Nevertheless, that relatively small criminal penalty did not end the case. The government separately considered the wider conduct attributed to the Frenchman. As a result, a ฿5,000 court penalty has been followed by a potentially far greater consequence. Mr Dimino now faces expulsion after approximately nine years living and conducting business on Koh Samui.
His disappearance has complicated the immediate enforcement process. Under the procedure, Mr Dimino has seven days after notification to challenge his deportation. He can petition the Prime Minister to revoke the order. Accordingly, immigration officers must locate him and formally serve the decision. As of Monday evening, there was no confirmation that this had happened.
Nor was there confirmation that Mr Dimino had filed an appeal. Instead, the immediate focus remained on finding him. Immigration officers have received information suggesting that he remains somewhere on Koh Samui. His business, however, provided no indication of his whereabouts on Monday.
On another front, Mr Ohayon is already behind police station doors. The Israeli national has reportedly lived on Koh Samui for approximately five years. Immigration checks showed that he had been staying in Thailand on a business visa. He has been described as a real-estate developer who also operates a sandwich business.
His deportation followed a separate criminal case at Koh Samui Provincial Court. The court convicted Mr Ohayon under Section 392 of the Criminal Code. The offence concerned threatening conduct causing fear or alarm. At first, he received one month in prison and a ฿10,000 fine. Following his guilty plea, however, both penalties were reduced.
Israeli businessman now held for deportation after suspended jail term and ฿5,000 fine on Koh Samui
Ultimately, Mr Ohayon received 15 days’ imprisonment, suspended for two years. His fine was reduced to ฿5,000. Yet the modest criminal punishment was followed by a much more consequential administrative decision. The Interior Ministry moved to remove him from Thailand, with Mr Anutin signing the deportation order.
Mr Ohayon became the first reported high-profile target under Thailand’s newly formalised 2026 deportation procedure. His order was reported on September 5. He is now being held at Koh Samui Police Station while awaiting removal. Even so, there was no confirmation by Monday evening that he had physically left Thailand.
Mr Ohayon also retains seven days following notification to appeal. Therefore, describing him as already deported would be inaccurate. He has been ordered deported and is being held while the process continues. Mr Dimino has likewise been ordered deported, although immigration officers must still locate him.
While in custody, Mr Ohayon rejected accusations that he intended to threaten anyone. He communicated his position through a close acquaintance. “I respect Thailand and the local legal system, and all tourists should respect it as well,” he said.
Ohayon denies threats and says Palestinian flag dispute should never have been brought to Koh Samui
Instead, Mr Ohayon said his intervention concerned the Palestinian flag displayed at Mr Dimino’s attraction. “I never thought I would be deported for expressing disapproval of the Palestinian flag on Koh Samui,” he said. He added: “I don’t think this war should happen on this island.”
Mr Ohayon also directly denied threatening Mr Dimino or those around him. “I reiterate that I never threatened them,” he said. “I only expressed my opinion about displaying the flag on the island to Kevin.”
The confrontation had, however, travelled far beyond a disagreement about a flag. It began with disputes involving visitors to Samui Exotic Park, operated by Mr Dimino and his Thai wife. According to the operators, problems developed involving some Israeli visitors. Initially, those disputes concerned admission charges and the treatment of animals.
Mr Dimino’s wife claimed some visitors ignored instructions governing the feeding and handling of animals. She also claimed that visitors opened cages and brought incompatible animals into contact. Separately, another incident involved a bird at the attraction. She claimed a visitor struck the bird after it landed on the person’s shoulder. According to her account, the bird subsequently died.
Those accusations were claims made by the park operator. They were not court findings against Mr Ohayon. Still, tensions at the attraction continued rising. Mr Dimino displayed a Palestinian flag at Samui Exotic Park. Signs also appeared refusing admission to Israeli visitors.
Israeli family refused entry as Samui Exotic Park dispute turns physical and spreads across social media
Then, on August 12, an Israeli family was refused entry to the attraction. Video footage of the confrontation quickly circulated online. Soon afterwards, the increasingly hostile dispute became physical. Video appeared to show Mr Dimino confronting or headbutting an Israeli man.
Mr Dimino maintained that he was responding to continuing misconduct. He later referred to threats involving himself and his family. At that point, Mr Ohayon became directly involved. The long-term Israeli resident demanded that Mr Dimino remove the Palestinian flag. Mr Dimino refused.
From there, the confrontation widened considerably. What began around an animal attraction developed into a dispute involving nationality and religion. The argument then migrated onto social media, where accusations and hostile exchanges multiplied. Mr Ohayon was accused of threatening Mr Dimino’s Thai wife.
At the same time, accusations emerged over one-star reviews targeting Samui Exotic Park. Mr Dimino’s wife subsequently complained to police. By approximately August 15, officers had established checkpoints around the attraction and other connected locations. The affair had moved firmly into a wider police operation.
Police checkpoints follow online attacks as Koh Samui dispute widens into a broader public order case
Officials were also concerned about conflict involving foreign residents and tourists. Koh Samui is one of Thailand’s major international tourism destinations. Consequently, the dispute was no longer being handled simply as a private disagreement between two foreign residents.
Separately, a disturbing ฿500,000 bounty allegation emerged during the confrontation. The claim concerned money supposedly offered for information capable of leading to harm against Mr Dimino. That matter was reported as a separate police investigation. Importantly, the supplied material does not establish the allegation against Mr Ohayon.
The dispute also travelled far beyond Koh Samui. In France, regional newspaper Le Progrès reported an attack on the home of Mr Dimino’s mother. The property is in Villeurbanne, near Lyon. According to the report, Molotov cocktails were used against the house on August 19. The property caught fire, although Mr Dimino said his mother escaped.
Back in Thailand, scrutiny was increasingly falling on Mr Dimino’s conduct as well. His public comments became part of the controversy. The Palestinian flag and exclusion of Israeli visitors also became central elements. Eventually, both principal foreign figures faced criminal proceedings followed by immigration action.
Their criminal cases were different, but the financial penalties were remarkably similar. Mr Ohayon was convicted of threatening conduct causing fear or alarm. Mr Dimino was convicted under provisions of the Land Traffic Act. Each ultimately received a ฿5,000 fine. Mr Ohayon additionally received a suspended 15-day prison sentence.
฿500,000 bounty claim and France fire attack deepen dispute as both foreign men face immigration action
The immigration consequences are considerably greater. Both men potentially face losing years of residence and established business interests in Thailand. Mr Ohayon has reportedly lived on Koh Samui for about five years. Mr Dimino has lived there for approximately nine years and is married to a Thai woman.
Their cases have also become the first major test of Thailand’s newly formalised deportation machinery. The Prime Minister’s Office Regulation on Deportation B.E. 2569 took effect on August 28. Thailand already possessed deportation powers under the Deportation Act B.E. 2499, enacted in 1956.
Accordingly, the 2026 regulation did not create Thailand’s underlying power to deport foreigners. Rather, it established clearer machinery for identifying and processing cases involving foreigners considered undesirable. The changes also streamlined the process leading towards action by the Interior Ministry.
Mr Anutin explained the new approach on September 6 at Bhumjaithai Party headquarters. He was speaking after ordering Mr Ohayon’s deportation. According to the Prime Minister, the revised procedure allows enforcement to become faster and more decisive.
Mr Anutin said undesirable behaviour by foreigners could trigger deportation action. He also referred to inappropriate conduct threatening national security or Thai people. Such cases can ultimately lead to deportation through the Minister of Interior.
New deportation rules put years of residence at risk as Anutin moves against both men on Koh Samui
At the same time, Mr Anutin said Thailand wanted large numbers of foreign tourists. However, he said those entering Thailand must respect Thai law and Thai people. He also referred to Thai customs and traditions. Foreigners engaging in unacceptable conduct could be required to leave under the law, he said.
The Koh Samui affair has now produced two rapid applications of the revised procedure. The regulation became effective on August 28. Within days, Mr Ohayon became its first reported high-profile target. On September 7, Mr Dimino followed.
That second order significantly changed the position surrounding the original confrontation. Initially, the deportation process involved only Mr Ohayon. Now, the government has acted against both principal foreign participants. Both therefore face expulsion from the kingdom.
The cases also demonstrate a clear separation between criminal penalties and administrative immigration action. Mr Ohayon’s criminal case produced a ฿5,000 fine and a suspended custodial sentence. Mr Dimino’s conviction produced a ฿5,000 fine. Those relatively modest penalties did not prevent separate action by the Interior Ministry.
Instead, the ministry considered wider public-order grounds when deciding whether the men should remain. For Mr Dimino, the order cites conduct extending beyond his traffic conviction. It includes intimidation, harassment, violence, nuisance and racial or religious division. For Mr Ohayon, the action followed his conviction for threatening conduct causing fear or alarm.
Both men retain seven-day appeals as immigration hunts Dimino and Ohayon remains in police custody
Both men nevertheless retain an appeal mechanism. Each has seven days after formal notification to petition the Prime Minister. They can ask for their respective deportation orders to be revoked.
There is also an unusual feature in the procedure. Mr Anutin simultaneously serves as Prime Minister and Minister of Interior. He therefore signed the deportation orders while occupying the office receiving appeals. Nonetheless, both foreigners retain the stated seven-day appeal period.
As of Monday evening, no reliable report confirmed that either man had formally lodged an appeal. More importantly, neither had been confirmed as physically removed from Thailand. Mr Ohayon remained in custody. Mr Dimino remained the subject of an urgent immigration search.
For immigration officers, Mr Dimino’s disappearance is now the immediate enforcement problem. They have information suggesting that he remains somewhere on Koh Samui. Yet reporters found no sign of him around Samui Exotic Park on Monday. The attraction was quiet, and no tourists were visible.
There was also no apparent activity from employees or his Thai wife. Immigration officers must now find him and formally serve the order. Only then can his seven-day appeal period run from formal notification.
Mr Ohayon’s position is more advanced. He remains at Koh Samui Police Station awaiting deportation, while his ministerial order remains operative. Nevertheless, he continues to deny making threats. He says his intervention concerned opposition to the Palestinian flag displayed at the attraction.
Animal park dispute ends with one man in custody and another still being hunted for deportation
The affair has travelled a remarkable distance from its beginnings at an animal park. It moved from admission and animal-treatment disputes into a confrontation over nationality and a Palestinian flag. Viral videos followed, alongside physical confrontation, threats, claims and accusations of organised online attacks.
Police complaints then led to checkpoints and criminal proceedings. Separately, the conflict reached France after the fire attack on Mr Dimino’s mother’s home. Finally, Thailand’s Interior Ministry acted against both central foreign figures.
For Mr Ohayon, that action has already resulted in custody while he awaits removal. For Mr Dimino, immigration officers still have to find him. On Monday evening, that search was continuing across Koh Samui.
Israeli expat on Koh Samui the first to be deported under Prime Minister Anutin’s new deportation regime
Koh Samui zoo dispute morphs into wider protest at Israelis and foreigners misbehaving in Thailand
Koh Samui Animal Park bans Israeli family including two young girls on the basis of their nationality
The legal position is therefore precise. Yaacov “Jacob” Ohayon has been ordered deported and is being held at Koh Samui Police Station. Kevin Dimino has also been ordered deported, but officers have not located him for formal notification.
Both men have seven days from notification to appeal. Neither has yet been confirmed as physically deported from the Kingdom of Thailand.
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Blitzkrieg on foreign firms and enterprises on Koh Phangan continues with French owned resort busted
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