Interior Ministry orders checks on 4 bodies at Chachoengsao Jewish cemetery

Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee ordered officials to verify the identities and causes of death of four people whose bodies were found at Jewish Cemetery Thailand in Chachoengsao during an inspection on Friday (September 11, 2026). Polapee alleged that the site was operating without a valid licence and that local authorities had received no notifications of the deaths.

Polapee visited the cemetery in Samed Tai subdistrict, Bang Khla district, with officers from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and administrative authorities. Chachoengsao Governor Chatpra-orn Niyom, Department of Provincial Administration deputy director-general Wirun Sitthiwong, provincial chief administrative officer Peerapol Luela and Bang Khla district chief Ekkarat Kritayaphong also joined the inspection, alongside other officials.

Why must the four bodies be identified before they can be moved?

The inspection found no valid cemetery or crematorium operating licence, Polapee said, adding that the site was not a venue for religious ceremonies. Three graves had been sealed with concrete and bore names engraved on marble, with recorded years of death of 2023, 2025 and 2026.

Polapee cited the gravestones as evidence that bodies had been buried without a valid licence. A fourth body remained under a tent and had not been sealed in concrete; Polapee believed it had been brought to the site this year.

“The immediate priority is not the company's request to move the bodies, but verifying who the four deceased people were, whether they were foreign nationals as claimed and whether their identities match the names on the gravestones,” Polapee said.

Neither local administrative authorities nor local government bodies had received notifications of the deaths, according to Polapee. He instructed the Department of Provincial Administration and public health officials to establish whether the deaths resulted from natural causes, accidents or violence, to guard against the concealment of crimes involving the bodies.

Before any bodies could be moved, Polapee ordered the company to provide documents from the relevant authorities confirming the identities of the deceased and their causes of death.

The company wanted to move the bodies to a cemetery in Bangkok's Charoen Krung area, where it leased space and where about 49 graves of Israeli nationals were already located, according to Polapee. The suitability of the receiving site would also have to be checked alongside the deceased people's identity documents.

What is the dispute over the cemetery’s operating licence?

Polapee addressed questions about the cemetery's disputed licence, which was granted in 2021 despite the site's proximity to waterways and public roads and was not renewed in 2023. He said the district chief had explained that some roads might not have been formally designated as highways or public roads under the applicable rules at the time.

Polapee maintained that the cemetery's current operation was unlawful. He said provincial authorities would submit a factual report to the Administrative Court for consideration in the pending case and to help address residents' concerns.

What suspected nominee business links are authorities investigating?

The land transaction had been handled by Gan Chabad Co Ltd and involved about 15 rai (2.4 hectares), valued at roughly 20 million baht, Polapee said. He described three shareholders as Israeli nationals who had acquired Thai citizenship and were therefore legally entitled to purchase land.

According to Polapee, the company's shareholders were linked to businesses in Patong, Phuket, and a business network in Chonburi. He referred to earlier searches involving the justice minister and fellow Deputy Interior Minister Worasit Liangprasit, and said the DSI had already issued summonses.

Polapee warned that authorities could freeze assets, revoke Thai citizenship and expel those involved from Thailand if wrongdoing was established. He acknowledged, however, that no predicate offence for money laundering had yet been identified at the cemetery.

Polapee alleged that the Chonburi network showed clear evidence of nominee arrangements involving land, hotels, other property and businesses. The Interior Ministry, Department of Provincial Administration, DSI, Anti-Money Laundering Office, Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission and Commerce Ministry had been investigating the wider network for about a month, he said.

A joint meeting at Government House was planned to consolidate the findings on the alleged network for submission to the prime minister, according to Polapee.

What further legal action is being considered?

Polapee described the alleged burial of bodies without a valid licence or notification to local officials as an irregularity suggesting deliberate non-compliance with the law. He instructed the Chachoengsao governor and the Department of Provincial Administration's deputy director-general to consider additional charges.

Polapee argued that relying solely on the Cemeteries and Crematoriums Act 1985, with the 2,000-baht fine he cited, would provide an inadequate deterrent. He said officials would urgently finalise the information needed for further legal action.