Sondhi Limthongkul to speak at Phuket rally opposing Chabad House Patong
A rally opposing Chabad House Patong is scheduled for 31 October at Saphan Hin, with political activist Sondhi Limthongkul among the advertised speakers.
A Phuket rally opposing Chabad House Patong is scheduled for 31 October, with national political activist Sondhi Limthongkul listed as one of the speakers.
The event, titled “Take Back Our Country”, is being organised by the Phuket Land Protection Group (PLPG), the Reclaim Thailand group and about 20 other networks. It is due to begin at 4pm at the stage at the tip of Saphan Hin in Phuket Town and continue until 10pm.
Organisers say the rally will oppose what they describe as illegal activities, “dark influences” and “grey” capital linked to Israeli interests and Chabad. They expect people from Phuket and other parts of the Andaman coast to attend.
Krit Thepbamrung, a representative of Reclaim Thailand, said the event was being coordinated with the group’s central leadership, led by Sondhi, a former key figure in the People’s Alliance for Democracy, as well as the PLPG and local residents. Other advertised speakers include Pichit Chaimongkol, known as “Tum KPT”, and Akkarawut Kraisisombat, known as “Tae Acheewa”, along with local representatives.
The rally follows a PLPG-organised protest outside Chabad House Patong on 11 September during a Jewish New Year celebration. More than 100 people attended the demonstration, which remained peaceful, although protesters displayed anti-Jewish and anti-Israel messages.
In a separate social media post promoting the new rally, community leaders from across the Andaman coast were described as part of a growing network seeking to remove people accused of acting as proxies for illicit capital. A post by Saichol Nuchet used more threatening language, saying Chabad and other alleged “grey-area” groups “must be wiped from this land”.
Chabad House Patong has faced months of scrutiny over building-use issues, imported products and business arrangements associated with the centre. A provincial investigation reported on 30 September that preliminary checks had found no irregularities in the financial transactions examined so far.
Authorities did identify the use of a parking-designated area as a restaurant or cafe, an unauthorised rooftop steel structure and imported products requiring further checks. Officials ordered action on the building-related issues and continued examining the products and business arrangements. The investigation had not established the broader allegations made by rally organisers.
