Four Graves Moved in Thailand as Jewish Cemetery Dispute Draws Scrutiny

Worley's reported remarks

According to the independent journalist reporting this story, Gary Worley described Israelis as trespassing, expressed agreement with Thailand's prime minister and characterized the moment as the beginning of a movement.

J.P. Morgan's professional profile lists Worley as a Managing Director and Wealth Advisor in Boston.

Four people buried at a Jewish cemetery in Thailand have been reinterred in another Thai province after a dispute over the site's operating permit. The relocation has drawn attention alongside Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's blunt remarks about foreigners and private cemeteries.

Why the graves were moved

Thairath reported that the cemetery received its initial permit in April 2021, but a renewal was refused in 2024 after officials found that the site no longer met location requirements. Its account of the Department of Provincial Administration's explanation identifies proximity to a public waterway among the concerns. The Thai-language report distinguishes the initial authorization from the later renewal dispute. Read the report.

Local reporters observed vans leaving the cemetery with the four remains on September 15. The destination was a cemetery in Ban Bueng district, Chonburi province. Thairath's English account is marked as an automated translation of its Thai reporting.

The Jewish community's account

Chabad says the community acquired the Chachoengsao land after its older cemetery approached capacity. It describes the relocation as a painful religious undertaking and says ZAKA personnel traveled from Israel to assist. According to Chabad, Nirvana Memorial Park provided a dedicated Jewish burial section for the reinterment. Chabad's September 16 account.

Israel National News reported that Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor said the community had used legal channels to challenge the renewal denial, with a court ruling still pending at the time of that report. That account provides the community's position on the dispute; it does not resolve the competing descriptions of the licensing history. Israel National News, September 15.

What Anutin said, and the context

At a September 17 Interior Ministry briefing, Anutin discussed private cemeteries while calling for stronger enforcement against foreigners accused of unlawful activity. Khaosod English reported his words as: If you're going to die, go die back home. The same report says he welcomed foreigners who work honestly, obey Thai law and do not exploit Thai people. Khaosod English's account of the speech.