Authorities and representatives from Gan Chabad Co. Ltd. exhumed four bodies from a cemetery in Bang Khla district in Chachoengsao province on Tuesday, executing a provincial order mandating the clearance of the site by September 16.
The remains are being relocated to a cemetery in Ban Bueng district, Chon Buri.
The nearly seven-hour exhumation operation was conducted under strict security, with local police and provincial administrative officers closing off the private grounds to media and local residents.
Verification of death certificates and passports identified the deceased as three Israeli men, who died on November 14, 2023, November 26, 2025 and April 26, 2026, and a British woman who passed away on July 18, 2026.
Namphueng Khamsa-ard, the village chief of the Samet Tai sub-district in Bang Khla district, urged authorities to conduct a thorough search of the entire property, noting that residents remain anxious following official reports of several other grave-like mounds on the site.
The exhumations follow the discovery of severe regulatory violations regarding the cemetery's initial setup.
Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee confirmed that the permit granting process was flawed from its inception in 2021, lacking essential supporting documentation and breaching national criteria for cemetery establishment.
Polapee noted that satellite imagery from Google Earth contradicted documents signed by the former Samet Tai Subdistrict Administrative Organisation chief, showing the designated site was previously covered by roads and bodies of water.
The provincial governor of Chachoengsao has been ordered to set up a fact-finding committee to investigate the local approval within 15 days.
Meanwhile, the Department of Provincial Administration has been tasked with inspecting cemeteries nationwide within three days, with the minister warning that any illicit sites will face immediate closure and legal action under a new "Chachoengsao Model."
