CHACHOENGSAO, Thailand – A dispute over a new Jewish cemetery in Bang Khla district has intensified after local residents objected to the site’s proximity to homes, public waterways and agricultural areas, while provincial authorities found that it did not meet legal requirements for a cemetery. The cemetery, known as Jewish Cemetery Thailand, was established to provide a long-term burial site for Thailand’s Jewish community after the existing Jewish cemetery on Charoen Krung Road in Bangkok began running out of space.
According to information from the Jewish Community of Thailand, the community had raised funds and purchased land in Chachoengsao, about 60 to 90 minutes from Bangkok, to provide additional burial space. The site was registered as a cemetery and Jewish burial ceremonies were conducted there by Chevra Kadisha, the group responsible for Jewish funeral rites. However, the project faced strong opposition from local residents.
About 60 residents living near the cemetery gathered to protest in 2023, objecting to plans to bring bodies to the site. They said the cemetery was close to a residential community, public roads, Ban Nong Sano School, the Samet Tai Health Promoting Hospital, a community hall and agricultural areas, including shrimp farms.
An inspection by Bang Khla district officials found that construction began in November 2022 and was completed in October 2023. Officials also found that the site did not comply with requirements under the relevant ministerial regulations. The cemetery is located beside a public road and near a public drainage canal used to discharge floodwater into an irrigation canal. Another water channel supplies agricultural areas, while the land is bordered by water sources on two sides.
On February 12, 2024, a provincial committee reviewing cemetery and crematorium permits unanimously concluded that the site failed to meet the required criteria and recommended that its license not be renewed. The operator was informed of the decision and given the right to appeal to the Interior Minister through Bang Khla district.
The company subsequently authorized a lawyer to file an administrative appeal. Further inquiries confirmed that the Sanam Chang–Nong Sano Road was registered as a local highway, while local leaders confirmed that the nearby canal was public property used by residents for drainage and for supplying water to gardens and shrimp farms. The land involved was later divided into two title deeds, with the remaining area covered by the cemetery application measuring about six rai and 20 square wah. Chachoengsao provincial authorities agreed with the district’s decision not to renew the license and forwarded the case to the Department of Provincial Administration for consideration by the Interior Minister.
On September 29, 2025, the Department of Provincial Administration informed the province that the Interior Minister had rejected the appeal without considering its merits because it was submitted after the statutory deadline. The appellant was informed of the decision and advised of the right to take the case to the Administrative Court. The dispute is now before the Rayong Administrative Court. The cemetery has ceased operations. Bang Khla district officials said one body had been buried at the site while the cemetery was licensed, but it has since been removed. No bodies are currently buried there. The provincial governor has instructed district officials, village chiefs and local authorities to continue monitoring the site and report any developments immediately, while asking local residents to remain vigilant.
