Kevin Dimino is behind bars on Koh Samui after PM Anutin ordered him deported. His wife is racing to appeal as officials unveil six grounds involving violence, knife threats, tourist clashes, online posts and a flight incident. Israeli man moved to Bo Phut Police Station.
French zoo owner Kevin Dimino is in custody on Koh Samui after Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered his deportation from Thailand. Immigration officers formally served the order on Tuesday after an urgent search for the Samui Exotic Park co-owner. The government cites six grounds, including violence, knife threats, tourist confrontations, provocative online posts and an incident aboard a domestic flight. However, Dimino’s wife, Jindarat Sattayapun, says the couple were victims and is preparing an appeal to the prime minister. Meanwhile, Israeli national Yaacov “Jacob” Ohayon remains in custody at Bo Phut Police Station under a separate deportation order linked to the wider Koh Samui dispute.
French zoo owner Kevin Dimino was taken into custody on Koh Samui on Tuesday after being formally served with a deportation order. Surat Thani immigration officers summoned the French national from his residence on September 8. They then brought him to the Koh Samui Immigration Office. There, Pol Col Naruwat Phutthaviro formally informed Dimino that he faced removal from Thailand.
Immediately afterwards, officers took Dimino to Koh Samui Police Station. Police recorded the deportation order as evidence before placing him in custody. He will remain there while officials prepare the next steps towards his removal. However, his physical deportation from Thailand had not been confirmed by Tuesday evening.
The breakthrough ended an urgent search after immigration officers initially failed to locate the Frenchman. Dimino co-owns Samui Exotic Park in Mae Nam with his Thai wife, Jindarat Sattayapun. Earlier, officers visited the animal park while attempting to formally notify him. Yet they found the premises closed, with no apparent activity inside.
Dimino spotted back at Koh Samui zoo before police locate him as his wife prepares deportation appeal
Notably, Dimino had reportedly appeared at the park at about 1 pm on September 7. He drove a BMW into the property at speed before getting out. Afterwards, he looked around the front of the premises. Officials did not find him there later, and the search intensified the following morning.
By Tuesday afternoon, immigration and investigative officers had located him. They brought him in and formally activated the deportation process. In response, his wife flatly rejected suggestions that Dimino had deliberately disappeared. She insisted he continued his normal routine despite knowing about the order.
“I can confirm that after learning about the deportation, my husband didn’t run away,” Jindarat said. “He still spent his evenings having dinner at the restaurant.”
Nevertheless, Dimino now faces removal under an order signed by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on September 7. Anutin also serves as Minister of the Interior. Crucially, Dimino can appeal within seven days following formal notification. His wife is already preparing that challenge.
As part of this, Jindarat plans to submit documents through the Ministry of Interior before September 11. She described herself as confused and disappointed by the decision. She also said her husband was bewildered by Thai law after being targeted for deportation.
Dimino’s wife claims they were victims as officials detail six grounds behind his deportation order
According to Jindarat, the couple considered themselves victims during the bitter dispute surrounding their animal park. Instead, she said her husband was now treated like people who had threatened and harassed them. She also wants to know who initiated the proposal eventually placed before Anutin.
“Now I want to know the reason why the Minister of Interior signed the deportation letter, who proposed it,” Jindarat said. “We will definitely appeal this to the Prime Minister.”
Separately, Jindarat said she had contacted media figure Sonthi Limthongkul and Tae Achiwa. She expects to join Sonthi in an appeal campaign over her husband’s removal. Meanwhile, the Department of Provincial Administration has presented a starkly different account of Dimino’s conduct.
On Tuesday, the department released a detailed statement explaining the grounds supporting his deportation. Officials listed six areas of conduct which they said showed Dimino posed a definite threat to society. The incidents ranged from verbal abuse and physical violence to threats and conduct aboard an aircraft.
Officials cite violence, knife threats, tourist clashes, online posts and a domestic flight incident
First, officials cited harassment and verbal abuse involving the owner and teachers of a local language school. The second case involved a confrontation with a Turkish national. Officials said Dimino physically assaulted the man, causing injuries to his leg. Moreover, they said Dimino threatened him with a knife.
Another incident involved Dimino’s behaviour outside private property. According to officials, he shouted and used vulgar language outside the premises. The department also described his behaviour there as disrespectful.
On another front, officials detailed confrontations involving foreign tourists. The department said Dimino physically assaulted tourists and threw signs at them. In addition, officials said he directed disrespectful language towards members of their families.
The fifth issue centred on messages Dimino posted online. According to the government, he invited opponents of certain foreigners to gather at his zoo. The proposed gathering involved symbolic political or religious demonstrations. Officials said the messages suggested an intention to create racial, religious and political division.
Finally, the government cited an incident aboard a domestic flight. Officials said Dimino threatened fellow passengers during the journey. Consequently, a flight attendant removed him from the aircraft.
Interior Ministry backs deportation case as Dimino’s wife says restaurant confrontation was misread
Taken together, those six areas formed the government’s stated case for deportation. The Interior Ministry said Dimino’s conduct violated public order, morality and public well-being. Furthermore, it said his actions created divisions involving race and religion. Officials also warned his conduct could damage friendly relations between Thailand and other countries.
Against that official account, Jindarat strongly disputes the interpretation placed on several incidents. She maintains her husband acted defensively during important confrontations. In particular, she addressed the incident at the Shabaad restaurant and acknowledged that Dimino went there.
According to his wife, Dimino visited the restaurant after receiving threats about the closure of his business. She admitted that he shouted insults after arriving. Even so, she said his actions were subsequently misinterpreted as harassment.
Jindarat also addressed a separate physical confrontation involving another foreigner. She said her husband acted in self-defence following a misunderstanding. Specifically, Dimino believed the man was Israeli. His wife linked that misunderstanding to a deeply personal accusation directed against her.
Wife links assault to shocking animal-sex accusation as separate Israeli deportation case moves ahead
She said someone had accused her of having sexual relations with animals. As a result, Dimino believed the foreigner was connected with that accusation. Jindarat acknowledged that her husband physically assaulted the man. However, she said the attack was not severe enough to require hospital treatment.
Despite her explanation, that confrontation became one element supporting the government’s deportation case. Officials also relied on several other incidents spanning different locations and circumstances. These included the language school dispute, confrontations with tourists and the domestic flight incident.
In parallel, another foreign national caught in the wider Koh Samui feud remains in custody. Israeli national Yaacov “Jacob” Ohayon faces a separate deportation order. Although linked by the broader controversy, the two deportation cases are legally separate.
Ohayon had previously been convicted over threatening messages which caused fear or alarm. He pleaded guilty. The court imposed a 15-day suspended prison sentence and a ฿5,000 fine. Subsequently, Anutin signed an order for his deportation on September 5.
Two days later, Anutin signed Dimino’s separate deportation order. That left both men facing removal from Thailand after becoming embroiled in the wider dispute. Ohayon was already being held at Koh Samui Police Station while immigration officials processed his case.
Ohayon moved to Bo Phut as Dimino arrives in custody and the wider Koh Samui dispute reaches Anutin
Then Dimino arrived at the same station on Tuesday. Officials responded by moving Ohayon to the detention facility at Bo Phut Police Station. They said the transfer was made to prevent further problems. Dimino remained at Koh Samui Police Station while his own deportation process moved forward.
The confrontation surrounding both men grew from the wider controversy involving Samui Exotic Park. Previously, Dimino and his wife made headlines following a dispute involving Israeli visitors to the zoo. The affair then widened into complaints, threatening messages, physical confrontations and criminal proceedings.
Eventually, the dispute reached the Ministry of Interior and the prime minister himself. Anutin first signed Ohayon’s deportation order on September 5. Then came the order against Dimino on September 7. Immigration officers subsequently moved to formally notify the French national.
At that point, however, officers could not immediately find him. Their search took them to Samui Exotic Park, where they found the property closed. Later that day, Dimino was reportedly seen driving his BMW into the premises. Yet officers still did not formally serve him.
Police hunt ends with Dimino formally served as his wife races to lodge an appeal before September 11
By Tuesday morning, the hunt had intensified. Immigration officials were urgently seeking Dimino so the deportation process could proceed. His wife later insisted there had been no attempt to flee. According to her, Dimino was still openly going out for dinner during the evenings.
Hours later, the search ended. Officers located Dimino and brought him before Surat Thani immigration officials. Pol Col Naruwat then formally served him with the order. From there, police took Dimino to Koh Samui Police Station and recorded the order.
That formal notification is critical because it starts the seven-day appeal period. Accordingly, Jindarat is racing to prepare documents for submission before September 11. She intends to ask the prime minister to reverse the decision signed only days earlier.
For its part, the Department of Provincial Administration has publicly set out its case against Dimino. The government points to six distinct areas of conduct rather than one isolated confrontation. Those incidents include violence, harassment, threats, abusive behaviour and provocative online activity.
Dimino remains in custody as his wife challenges the case and immigration presses ahead with removal
At the same time, Jindarat continues to challenge key elements of that account. She insists several confrontations stemmed from threats against the couple or misunderstandings involving other foreigners. She also maintains her husband did not disappear after learning about the deportation order.
Still, the signed order remains in force while any appeal is prepared. Dimino is now in police custody rather than at his Koh Samui animal park. Immigration officials are proceeding with the legal steps required to remove him from Thailand.
Israeli detained for deportation as PM signs order to deport now missing French zoo owner Kevin Dimino
Koh Samui Israeli expat the first to be deported under Prime Minister Anutin’s new deportation regime
Meanwhile, Ohayon remains in custody under his own separate order. His transfer to Bo Phut Police Station keeps the two men apart while both cases proceed. Neither man had been confirmed as physically deported from Thailand by Tuesday evening.
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Blitzkrieg on foreign firms and enterprises on Koh Phangan continues with French owned resort busted
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