Thailand revoked the citizenship of an Israeli man who had been naturalized in the country six years ago, in an unusual move signed by Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Thursday.
Charnvirakul signed an order stripping Ariel Blushstein, an Israeli-born man who became a Thai citizen in 2019, of his Thai citizenship. Bangkok media described him as a diamond and jewelry entrepreneur based in the city. The announcement was published the same day in the Royal Gazette.
According to Thailand's Interior Ministry, the grounds for the exceptional citizenship revocation were that on the day Blushstein received his Thai identity card, June 14, 2019, he flew to Hong Kong using an Israeli passport and returned to Thailand on June 23 using the same passport.
Authorities cite passport use and undisclosed citizenship
Authorities also alleged that he had concealed Uruguayan citizenship when submitting his naturalization application.
The revocation was based on Section 19 of Thailand's 1965 Nationality Act, a longstanding legal authority that has rarely been publicly used against naturalized citizens over the use of a foreign passport.
This was not a visa cancellation. It was the removal of citizenship status six years after the state itself had granted it.
No criminal offense was alleged, and there was no arrest or deportation. The case opened over travel dating back to 2019, and information authorities said he had not included it on his application form.
The move is unusual in general and appears to be unprecedented in the case of an Israeli citizen.
It comes amid a series of measures affecting Israelis in Thailand, including the removal of human remains from a Jewish cemetery whose license had expired, the deportation of an Israeli who operated a business after his visa was canceled, and the closure of an international school that served the Israeli community.
Suspicion toward Chabad houses has also grown in the country. Recent demonstrations have featured antisemitic chants.