Report: Thailand revokes citizenship of the country's chief rabbi

Thailand's Prime Minister has signed an order revoking the citizenship of Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor, the country's chief rabbi, following an investigation that found he used his American citizenship on 16 trips to Australia in violation of naturalization conditions.

Thailand's Prime Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, signed an order revoking the Thai citizenship of Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor, the chief rabbi of Thailand and the main Chabad emissary in the country. The decision came after an investigation by the Special Investigation Department of the Thai Ministry of Justice determined that the rabbi used his American citizenship on 16 trips to Australia, in violation of the naturalization conditions. Rabbi Kantor, originally an American citizen, received Thai citizenship in April 2013. The last trip to Australia occurred on January 26, 2026. Authorities claimed that the naturalization conditions were clarified to him at the time of application. The report is based on a publication by the Thai news site THE STANDARD.