Thai authorities have revoked the citizenship of Ariel Blushstein, an Israeli-born diamond and jewellery entrepreneur naturalised in 2019, in an order signed by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Officials say Blushstein travelled on an Israeli passport shortly after receiving his Thai ID in June 2019 and failed to disclose Uruguayan citizenship on his application. The revocation, issued under Section 19 of the 1965 Nationality Act, did not involve criminal charges, arrests or deportation and was published in the Royal Gazette. The move is described as unusual and comes amid other recent measures affecting Israelis in Thailand.
Thailand Revokes Citizenship of Israeli-Born Businessman Six Years After Naturalization
Bangkok, Thailand. (photo credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)
Thai authorities have annulled the citizenship of Ariel Blushstein, an Israeli-born diamond and jewellery entrepreneur who was naturalised as a Thai citizen in 2019. The order, signed by Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, was published in the Royal Gazette on Thursday.
What Officials Say
Thailand's Interior Ministry said the exceptional revocation was based on findings that on the day Blushstein received his Thai ID card—14 June 2019—he travelled to Hong Kong using an Israeli passport and returned to Thailand on 23 June 2019 on the same passport. Officials also alleged he failed to disclose Uruguayan citizenship on his naturalisation application.
Members of the Network of Students and People for Reform of Thailand (NSPRT) hold placards as they take part in a rally outside the Israeli Embassy in Bangkok on September 10, 2026. (credit: Arnun Chonmahatrakool / THAI NEWS PIX / AFP via Getty Images)
Legal Basis and Consequences
The decision was issued under Section 19 of the 1965 Nationality Act, a long-standing provision that authorities say has rarely been publicly applied to revoke the citizenship of naturalised citizens for using a foreign passport or omitting information on applications. Officials emphasised this was not a visa cancellation; it is the formal removal of citizenship that had been granted six years earlier.
No criminal charges were announced, and there was no arrest or deportation in connection with the action. Authorities said the case stems from travel records dating back to 2019 that they say were not included on Blushstein's application.
Context and Reactions
Observers described the move as unusual and said it appeared unprecedented in a case involving an Israeli national. The action comes amid a series of measures that have affected some Israelis in Thailand, including the removal of human remains from a Jewish cemetery after its licence expired, the deportation of an Israeli whose visa was cancelled while operating a business, and the closure of an international school that served parts of the Israeli community. Suspicion toward some Chabad houses has also increased, and recent demonstrations have included antisemitic chants, raising concern among the Jewish and Israeli communities in the country.
Note: The Interior Ministry's public statement and the Royal Gazette notice are the primary official sources cited; no court ruling or criminal indictment was reported at the time of publication.
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