Polapee orders nationwide checks on 1,200 burial and cremation sites

Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee has ordered nationwide inspections of approximately 1,200 cemeteries and cremation sites, while authorities expand inquiries into business connections involving Gan Chabad Co., Ltd.

Speaking on Tuesday (September 8), Polapee said officials would examine the validity of licences, identify applicants and compile information on the religious affiliations of the sites. He stressed that the inspections were not targeting any particular nationality.

Remains to be relocated in Chachoengsao

Providing an update on a Jewish cemetery in Chachoengsao, Polapee said the provincial governor had issued a written order requiring its relocation.

Three of the four sets of remains at the site would be moved, while officials needed more time to establish whether the fourth burial took place while the cemetery’s licence was valid.

If that burial occurred after 2023, the remains would also have to be relocated, he said.

Polapee said the site would no longer operate as a cemetery, citing what he described as clear breaches of regulations governing its distance from water sources and roads.

Bangkok burial plots under review

Polapee said a cemetery on Charoen Krung Road in Bangkok contained 49 graves of Israeli nationals and was connected to another burial area separated by a wall for Jewish burials.

He had instructed the Interior Ministry’s permanent secretary to examine whether the arrangement complied with the law.

The wall effectively divided the cemetery into two plots, he said, raising the possibility that one plot held a licence while the other did not. The ministry was investigating the licensing position.

“I have ordered inspections of cemeteries nationwide. Reports indicate that Thailand has approximately 1,200 cemeteries and cremation sites,” Polapee said.

“We are requesting details from each location to establish whether its licence has expired, who applied for it and which religion it serves. I will also visit Chachoengsao on September 10 to follow up on the cemetery case.”

Gan Chabad business connections examined

Polapee said Gan Chabad’s three shareholders or founders were Israeli nationals who all held Thai citizenship. He said they owned the Chachoengsao plot and the Chabad site in Phuket.

He and the justice minister were expanding inquiries into the business connections of Israeli nationals suspected of acting as nominees or committing other offences, he said.

Properties under scrutiny included the Chachoengsao site and a plot where a Chabad centre had been built in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit area. Any legal violations identified would be subject to prosecution, he added.

On nationality, Polapee said holding Thai citizenship did not place anyone beyond the reach of Thai law, including provisions concerning prosecution and asset seizure.

He said serious cases could potentially lead to citizenship being revoked and deportation, depending on the offences and subject to the required legal procedures. However, officials first needed to establish the full network of business connections before examining the relevant legal provisions.

Agencies to discuss shared information

Polapee said the Interior Ministry would meet the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission, the Anti-Money Laundering Office, the Department of Special Investigation and the Royal Thai Police after the Cabinet meeting on September 15.

The agencies would discuss how to link information concerning suspected illicit business activity, scam operations and nominee arrangements. Their findings would subsequently be reported to the prime minister.

Minister denies targeting a particular nationality

Asked about former People’s Alliance for Democracy leader Sondhi Limthongkul’s declared campaign to “reclaim Thai land from Jews”, Polapee said political mobilisation was taking place around the issue, although Sondhi’s remarks also addressed other political matters.

He urged the public not to worry, saying the Interior Ministry and the prime minister took the issue seriously and that their actions demonstrated this commitment.

Polapee reiterated that enforcement was not directed at any single nationality.

He cited an operation on Koh Samui in Surat Thani, which he attended with the deputy national police chief two weeks earlier, saying it had resulted in the arrest of suspects from 12 nationalities.

The ministry’s work also covered business licences, illegal pubs, drug sales and venues admitting people under 18. Some of the businesses involved were Thai-owned, he said.

This showed that the authorities were not focusing exclusively on foreigners, Polapee added. However, inspections in southern Thailand had uncovered connections between different operations, creating the impression of a very large foreign business network.

Officials were still gathering information and would proceed with legal action, he said.

Southern land purchases to be checked

Asked whether reports of Israeli nationals buying land in Pattani were connected to cemetery plans, Polapee said Israelis had purchased land in the three southern border provinces.

He had discussed the matter with several MPs representing the area and planned to visit to establish the facts.

Polapee expressed concern about whether the arrival of another religious community in an area where a different faith was widely practised could become a subject of public debate. He said officials needed to inspect the locations before drawing conclusions.

The initial information indicated that the purchased plots were vacant, with no buildings constructed or businesses operating on them, he said.