PHUKET, Thailand – An argument between a mobile phone shop owner and two Israeli tourists over a Free Palestine flag displayed at the entrance of the shop has drawn attention after a video of the exchange was posted on social media, with the shop owner stating the flag had been on display for approximately one year. The CCTV footage, shared on August 24 and taken on August 2 inside the shop in Bang Thao, Cherng Talay subdistrict, Thalang district, shows a man and woman entering the shop, noticing the flag near the entrance, and asking the owner about it before the conversation developed into a heated argument and the pair left, the Bangkok Post reported.

Tourist’s Visa Revoked For Threatening Samui Zoo Owner

The shop owner, who gave his name as Dahlan, said the flag had been on display for about a year and was not put up recently in connection with any particular event, explaining that the two customers, who he said were Israeli, had come in looking for a phone accessory that was out of stock before the conversation turned to the flag, with the woman asking why it was there and requesting it be taken down. Both sides subsequently made remarks during the exchange that are disputed, with each accusing the other of starting the confrontation, while the shop owner said he holds a personal position on the Palestinian issue and wanted to express opposition to the loss of life and destruction in Gaza, describing it as a stance he takes as a matter of conscience.

The exchange was the latest in a series of incidents involving Israelis, who have been cautioned by their embassy to avoid being drawn into discussions about sensitive issues such as their government’s conduct in Gaza, following recent confrontations on Koh Samui and Koh Phangan. On August 12 on Koh Samui, a zoo refused entry to an Israeli family, leading to a heated argument and the Israeli man being fined 5,000 baht, while the previous day on Koh Phangan, a 62-year-old Israeli woman and her 23-year-old daughter were seriously beaten in an unprovoked attack by a French man who told them he opposed what Israel was doing in Gaza.

Israeli Man Fined Over Threats to Koh Samui Zoo

Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul stated on Monday that Thailand does not welcome foreigners using it to air ideological views that could trigger wider unrest, adding that most disputes so far appeared to involve individual behaviour rather than reflecting all foreign visitors, and that troublemakers could have their visas revoked. The incidents have highlighted growing tensions in Thailand’s tourist destinations, where displays of political symbols and expressions of solidarity with either side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have increasingly led to confrontations between visitors and locals.

-Thailand News (TN)