In a notice posted on Friday night (Sept 19), Patong Municipality stated it had “never granted permission to hold any event or activity related to this religion in public areas” in connection with the Jewish New Year, which falls on Sept 22-23 this year.
“Patong Municipality is aware of the sensitivity of this issue and will not allow any event that may affect the feelings of Patong residents,” the announcement read.
Rawai Municipality issued a similar statement earlier the same day, confirming it had “never granted permission for any events or activities related to this religion to be held in public areas” and stressing that it was “fully aware of the sensitivity of this issue”.
Patong Mayor Lalita Maneesri later told The Phuket News that “almost every area in Phuket is now prohibited from holding Jewish celebrations, including in Rawai”.
She said Patong had received “similar requests as Rawai” and “it is no longer possible to hold events on the beach as before”, but declined to elaborate further.
Mayor Lalita made no comment on why a similar celebration was allowed on Patong Beach in 2022.
Rawai Mayor Thames Kraitat released a video on Sunday explaining that the controversy began with social media posts claiming the Jewish New Year would be celebrated on Patong and Rawai beaches.
“Upon learning of the news, the municipality and Patong Beach authorities inquired about permission to use the area. It turned out that the event would be held on private land in Moo 5, Chalong,” he said.
Mayor Thames said Rawai officials coordinated with the Mueang District Office, Chalong Police and community leaders to discuss whether the event could be held discreetly.
“We discussed whether it would be possible to keep it understated and without the use of sound or microphones,” he said. But following protests by residents of Moo 4, 5 and 7 in Sai Yuan, “we concluded that such events would no longer take place”.
Anuphong Panarat, Secretary to the Phuket Governor, confirmed that the issue had been raised with the governor through a written request from a group calling itself the ‘Thais Love Palestine Club’.
While declining to disclose the contents of the letter, Mr Anuphong said, “the consideration of whether or not to grant permission depends on the relevant legal regulations of each agency, which are established at each level”.
He added, “If it’s a complaint, it will be classified as confidential. If it’s disclosed, it could impact both the complainant and the respondent.” He also noted that beach areas are under the joint management of local administrations and district offices.
However, Mr Anuphong did not need to confirm what the written request contained, as the ‘Thais Love Palestine Club’ posted the submission of the request on their own Facebook page.
The club declared Phuket’s “great success \[in ending] the Jewish game” and condemning Israel as “a state that has committed genocide, slaughtering innocent children and civilians in Gaza in cold blood”.
The post argued that allowing a public celebration would amount to accepting Israeli actions.
Of note, the group also shares other similar messages, and quotes from Iran regime founder Ayatollah Khomeini.
Despite the bans, organisers say the Jewish New Year gathering will go ahead at a private venue. Patcharee Channatho, a Thai national with the Chabad House Phuket, told The Phuket News the celebration would be held at a hotel, not on the beachfront.
“The organisers are not holding the event on the beachfront, but on the hotel grounds. This means they are not violating any regulations, and security is in place,” Ms Patcharee said. “We consider it positive that indoor events are still permitted.”
She described the celebration as a peaceful religious gathering involving prayer, shared meals and singing, similar to Buddhist merit-making. “There was no intention to seize power or incite conflict,” she said. “They are peaceful and desire peace.”
Ms Patcharee rejected claims that religious symbols would be displayed. “Just as Buddhists have images of the Buddha, they have their own religious leaders,” she said. “We firmly affirm that no symbols were erected to ‘occupy’ the area.”
Organisers said they were willing to invite the media to witness the event to show that it remained within legal boundaries and posed no threat to public order.