Phuket Governor Chotnarin Kerdsom on Tuesday ordered a comprehensive investigation into the activities of Chabad of Patong in Thailand, Kikar Hashabbat reported.
The investigation will examine ownership of the land, how it was acquired, permits governing its use, and commercial licenses for activities at the site. Authorities were given seven days to complete the review.
The investigation concerns the Chabad center which on Friday canceled a Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) meal planned for 2,000 Israeli travelers at the last minute, following a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the area that lasted for hours.
According to Kikar Hashabbat, as part of the investigation, authorities will examine shareholder records of companies connected to activities at the site to determine whether there is any overlap or connection with a company involved in a project to establish a Jewish cemetery in Chachoengsao Province.
Thailand's Deputy Interior Minister, Polpheer Suwannachee, recently addressed the cemetery project after authorities said that the company behind it had been established by three Israeli citizens who also hold Thai citizenship and are registered as the owners of the land.
As a result, officials in Phuket have now asked for an examination of whether there are any business or corporate connections between that company and Chabad of Patong.
Phuket Deputy Governor and provincial spokesman Romdon Hayiawa confirmed that the governor had instructed the relevant authorities to conduct an in-depth review. He said ownership documents, land permits, construction approvals, and licenses for commercial activities would all be examined.
Authorities stressed that the move is an investigation only and does not constitute a determination that any offense has been committed. They also emphasized that the review is not directed against any particular nationality, religion, or community, and aims only to ensure that the activities and land holdings comply with Thai law.
Rabbi Nechemya Wilhelm, a Chabad emissary in Thailand, responded: "We have been in Thailand for 30 years, and throughout those years we have personally experienced the special hospitality of the Thai people, the mutual respect, and the peaceful coexistence here among people of all religions and nationalities. We have always felt that we and our activities are respected, and we have great appreciation for the Thai people and the authorities of the kingdom."
"Our Chabad Houses are c1ompletely legal in every respect. We are very careful to abide by the laws of the country and to respect the local authorities and the citizens of Thailand. We therefore have full confidence that the matters currently being examined will be reviewed objectively and that everything will be found to be in order."
On Tuesday night, Kikar HaShabbat reported that a cemetery purchased approximately five years ago by the Jewish community and Chabad in Bangkok has encountered difficulties with local authorities in recent months after they refused to renew the burial license for the site.
On Friday morning, ahead of Rosh Hashanah, Chabad representatives received a letter from the regional governor demanding that the cemetery, which contained four graves, be evacuated by Tuesday.
Due to the urgency of the situation, Rabbi Wilhelm contacted ZAKA Deputy Director of Operations Chaim Weingarten and requested the organization's assistance in transferring the graves to a new burial plot purchased by Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor, Chief Rabbi of Thailand's Jewish community.
Immediately after the holiday concluded, and following halakhic consultations with ZAKA rabbis, Weingarten and ZAKA volunteer Berale Yakubowitz traveled to Bangkok.
On Tuesday, a joint delegation of ZAKA representatives, Chabad rabbis, and members of the Jewish community, including Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor, Rabbi Nechemya Wilhelm, Rabbi Eliezer Ashkenazi, Yossi Goldberg, and Davidi Haddad, worked at the site and after hours of painstaking and sensitive work, carried out in accordance with Jewish law and with care for the dignity of the deceased, all four graves were transferred intact to their new resting place.