Police Raid Illegal School, Israel's "Hot Spot" in RI's Neighbour
Thai security forces conducted a dramatic raid on an illegally operated school run by Thai and Iranian nationals on Koh Phangan island. During the operation, officers discovered dozens of Israeli children being housed in the facility that violated licensing regulations.
According to a report from the Bangkok Post, the raid took place at Arki Kid School, located in Moo 3 village, a popular tourist island, on Friday (1/5/2026) at 12.30 local time. The Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) revealed that the location only held a licence as a childcare centre for 18 children aged two to five years.
However, the reality on the ground was shocking, as officers instead found 89 Israeli children ranging in age from 2 to 12 years. In addition, the school employed 40 workers from Myanmar and 12 employees from various other nationalities.
Authorities immediately detained an Iranian couple, Aidin Kishipoor and Ndin Kishipoor, both aged 45, as well as a 61-year-old Thai woman named Prathumthip Yu-in. They face multiple charges, ranging from operating an illegal non-formal private school, employing foreigners without permission, to violations of child protection laws.
Based on a review of its official website, Arki Kid School is known to charge a substantial tuition fee of 64,000 Baht (Rp34.4 million) per child for each semester. However, the school remains ambiguous about whether the curriculum they use is officially recognised by the government or not.
The school’s management provides an explanation on their website regarding the teaching methods applied there. They claim that the standards used still refer to international quality, even though they do not follow a specific external curriculum.
“Although we do not strictly adhere to an external curriculum, we align our approach with international education standards to ensure that our students acquire the same foundational knowledge as their peers in other international schools,” reads the statement on the website.
In addition to the managers, officers also took action against the foreign workers there. Three South Africans and one US citizen were charged with working without permission, while a French woman and another South African woman were processed legally for failing to report their employer and type of work despite holding work permits.
Isoc emphasised that this firm legal action was taken as a follow-up to various community complaints. Issues regarding foreigners running illegal businesses are considered to threaten national security stability.
Isoc stated that this operation is a form of response to reports of suspicious activities by foreign businesspeople. They stressed the importance of monitoring businesses that have the potential to violate state laws.
“Legal action is taken in response to complaints about foreigners running businesses that could threaten national security,” Isoc asserted in their statement.
Koh Phangan itself has now transformed into a destination that is very popular among Israelis, with around 2,500 of them estimated to have settled there. This has triggered tensions and complaints related to property acquisitions and the operation of businesses deemed non-compliant with applicable Thai laws.