Thai authorities raided an unauthorized daycare on Koh Phangan on Friday, arresting several individuals and filing multiple charges after finding 89 Israeli children enrolled at a facility licensed for far fewer, Bangkok Post reported.
The raid took place on Friday at Arki Kid School in Moo 3 village. Officials said the center was approved to accommodate only 18 children aged two to 12, but discovered 89 on-site.
Among those detained were Aidin Kishipoor and Ndin Kishipoor, an Iranian couple both aged 45, and Prathumthip Yu-in, a Thai national aged 61. Authorities charged them with operating an unlicensed private school, employing foreign nationals without permits, failing to declare foreign workers, and breaching child protection regulations.
Investigators said the facility relied heavily on foreign labor. Forty employees were from Myanmar, with additional staff from other countries. Three South Africans and one American were charged with working without authorization. A French woman and a South African woman, both holding work permits, were prosecuted for failing to properly report their employment details.
The daycare collected tuition of 64,000 baht per child per semester, according to the report.
Koh Phangan has attracted a growing Israeli community, with about 2,500 Israelis now residing on the island.
Material published on the school’s website described its approach to education, stating: “While we don’t adhere strictly 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.”
