The Interior Ministry has defended its deportation order against French national Kevin Dimino, citing his alleged threats to public order and social harmony.
In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry said Dimino, a co-owner of Samui Exotic Park, had harassed and verbally abused the owner and teachers at a language school, assaulted a Turkish national and threatened him with a knife.
It also cited an incident at the zoo on Koh Samui in which he allegedly assaulted Israeli tourists, threw a sign at them and used offensive language towards their family.
The ministry also referred to a social media post in which Dimino invited people opposed to the Israeli government’s military actions to use his zoo for political and religious gatherings. It said the post risked associating a site in Thailand with racial, religious and political divisions.
In another incident, cabin crew reportedly asked police to remove Dimino from a domestic flight after he allegedly threatened fellow passengers, the ministry said.
The ministry said the cumulative record of improper conduct was contrary to public order and public well-being, could deepen racial and religious divisions and affect Thailand’s relations with other countries.
Interior Minister and Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed the deportation order on Monday, ordering Dimino to leave Thailand under Section 5 of the 1956 Deportation Act and a 2026 Prime Minister’s Office regulation.
The order also cited a Koh Samui Provincial Court ruling that convicted Dimino under the Land Traffic Act. The former boxer who has lived in Thailand for over 10 years was fined 10,000 baht, reduced to 5,000 baht after he pleaded guilty.
The ministry stressed that deportation decisions were based on conduct rather than nationality and would be applied equally to foreigners.
Just days earlier, an Israeli man who had feuded with Dimino over the latter’s support for the Palestinian cause was ordered deported after being convicted of threatening the zoo owner and his Thai wife.
Immigration officers in Surat Thani arrested Dimino on Tuesday and took him to the Koh Samui police station for further questioning. He is expected to be processed for removal.
Dimino’s wife, Jindarat, disputed the ministry’s account, saying her husband had acted to protect her after she was threatened with the closure of her business. She said the couple had prepared documents and evidence to appeal directly to the Interior Ministry by Friday.
The couple last month filed a complaint with police, saying they were the target of an organised online hate campaign that included death threats.
Under the law, Dimino can appeal the deportation order to the prime minister within seven days of being notified. Ms Jindarat said she was disappointed because she believed they were the victims.