Three Israeli bodies may be moved from unlicensed Chachoengsao cemetery

The remains of three Israeli nationals buried in a Jewish cemetery in Chachoengsao’s Bang Khla district may be moved because they are suspected of having been buried after the cemetery’s licence expired, Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee said today.

The cemetery was granted a licence in 2021, but it expired in 2023, Polapee said.

An inspection carried out when the operator sought to renew the licence found that the cemetery had not been built in accordance with legal standards, including requirements concerning its distance from roads and rivers.

The operator appealed the decision to the then interior minister but was unsuccessful. It subsequently filed a case with the Administrative Court, which is still considering the matter.

An initial inspection found four sets of remains buried at the site. One is believed to have been buried between 2021 and 2023, while the cemetery still had a valid licence.

The other three, however, are believed to have been brought to the site after the licence expired and without notification to the local authorities.

Polapee said the district chief and Chachoengsao governor would issue a written order requiring the three bodies to be removed from the cemetery.

He added that the remains buried while the cemetery still had a valid licence were considered to have been buried legally. Officials will, nonetheless, review the relevant laws and regulations to determine whether they can remain at the site.

Polapee also said authorities would inspect Jewish burial sites in Bangkok’s Charoen Krung area, following reports that a cemetery there had operated without a licence for about 30 years. Officials have identified four or five locations where members of the Jewish community had placed the remains of deceased people, he said.

Meanwhile, Polapee said the government is investigating businesses linked to Israeli nationals in Thailand, while the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is considering whether the matter should be classified as a special case, as the alleged damage involved more than 300 million baht.

Relevant authorities, including the Interior Ministry, the Department of Provincial Administration, the Anti-Money Laundering Office and the Office for the Prevention and Suppression of Corruption in State Agencies, will expand their investigation into the businesses and could be involved in the probe.

According to the deputy minister, more than 1,500 companies are currently suspected of illegally holding land, while authorities are also investigating 14,000 foreign companies suspected of wrongdoing. Together, the companies hold more than 5,800 plots of land worth more than 60 billion baht, he said.