Thai security forces shut down an illegally operated school on the resort island of Koh Phangan on Friday after finding 89 Israeli children crammed into a facility licensed to hold fewer than a fifth of that number, triggering a nationwide inspection order from Thailand’s Labour Ministry the following day.
The raid on the Arki Kid School in Moo 3 village, carried out at 12:30pm on May 1, was ordered by Lt. Gen. Norathip Poinok, commander of the Fourth Army Region and director of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) Region 4. Soldiers, police, immigration officers, and local administrative officials moved on the property together following complaints on social media alleging that foreign nationals were operating businesses in violation of Thai law.
What they found went well beyond what anyone had expected. The facility held a childcare licence from the Surat Thani Provincial Social Development and Human Security Office permitting it to care for 18 children between the ages of two and five. Officers found 89 Israeli children aged two to twelve inside, along with a total enrollment of 163 children across four class levels — from nursery through to age 12. The school ran three academic terms per year and charged 32,000 baht per child per term, according to several news sources. Staff produced no licence to operate a non-formal private school.
Security officials and ISOC personnel inspect the Arki Kid School compound on Koh Phangan, Surat Thani. Photo Courtesy Internal Security Operations Command
Officers also found 40 workers from Myanmar on the premises, as well as 12 workers of other nationalities. Several individuals attempted to flee during the inspection, according to officials.
Nine people were arrested and handed to Koh Phangan police for legal proceedings. The three principal operators were Prathumthip Yu-in, a 61-year-old Thai woman, and an Iranian couple — Aidin Kishipoor and Ndin Kishipoor, both 45 — all charged with employing foreigners without work permits, failing to notify labour authorities within the required 15-day window, operating a childcare centre in breach of the Child Protection Act, and establishing a non-formal private school without permission. The six foreign teachers arrested — nationals of the United States, South Africa, and France — were charged with working without valid permits.
An investigation into the company’s ownership structure added another layer to the case. Authorities found the company had four Thai shareholders and three foreign shareholders from Iran and Estonia, raising suspicion that Thai names were used as nominees to conceal foreign control of the business, a practice that is illegal under Thai law.
The operation was not entirely out of the blue. Koh Phangan has become one of the most popular destinations in Southeast Asia for Israeli families, with an estimated 2,500 Israeli nationals having settled on the island, according to the Bangkok Post. That growth has been accompanied by mounting complaints about foreign-run businesses operating outside Thai regulatory frameworks — complaints that ISOC said it had taken seriously before authorizing the operation.
The political response came quickly. Labour Minister Julapun Amornvivat issued a statement on Sunday ordering the Department of Employment to conduct what he described as proactive blanket inspections of foreign workers across Thailand — not just in Surat Thani but nationwide. Provincial employment offices and all 10 Bangkok employment area offices were directed to check whether foreign nationals are working within the scope of their permits. Authorities also said they would increase scrutiny on new work permit applications from nationalities flagged for security monitoring.
The penalties under Thai law are significant. Foreign workers without valid permits face fines of 5,000 to 50,000 baht and deportation, with a two-year ban on reapplying for a work permit. Employers who hire unlicensed foreign workers face fines of 10,000 to 100,000 baht per worker. Repeat offenders can face up to one year in prison, fines of 50,000 to 200,000 baht per worker hired, and a three-year ban from employing foreign nationals.
All nine suspects remain in the custody of Koh Phangan police pending further legal proceedings. ISOC said it carried out all procedures strictly in accordance with Section 22 of the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Act B.E. 2565 before making any handovers.
