Israeli mother and daughter badly beaten on Koh Phangan

French assailant reportedly free on bail after attack that resulted in surgery

A French man accused of brutally attacking an Israeli mother and daughter on Koh Phangan, causing injuries requiring surgery, has reportedly been released on bail of 100,000 baht.

The mother, still recovering in hospital on Koh Samui, has warned Israelis and Jews in Thailand that the man is a danger to the public and is roaming free, the Israeli news outlet Ynet reported.

The two Israelis were informed on Friday about the release of suspect Paul Gaubert, who had reportedly been arrested on an unrelated matter after a violent confrontation with police.

The mother remains in hospital after undergoing two surgeries, while her daughter has been released after also undergoing two operations.

The 62-year-old woman had travelled to Thailand for a two-week vacation with her 23-year-old daughter, who was on a longer trip around the country.

On Tuesday, she said, the pair rode a motorcycle to visit a waterfall on the tourist island. While walking near the site, they encountered a man who asked where they were from.

“We were busy buying coconuts. He asked my daughter where we were from and she said Israel,” the mother, who asked not to be named, told the Israeli news outlet.

“He said, ‘I don’t like what Israel is doing there [in Gaza],’ and I told him we were on vacation and didn’t want to talk about that issue or about what they had done to us,” the mother said. 

“He said, ‘I’m against violence,’ and the conversation ended. 

“Suddenly, he called us from above, came down toward us and then started beating me brutally. My daughter tried to protect me and was beaten as well. We both fought him. I was hit in the head and at some point I apparently lost consciousness.”

The woman said her daughter managed to call out to two French women who were nearby, and their assailant fled on his motorcycle. People at the scene bandaged the mother, who was bleeding from a bite to her ear, and took her and her daughter to the hospital. They were later transferred to Samui.

The woman said her daughter learned that the suspect had been released when she got a phone call from the hotel where they had been staying in Koh Phangan. The mother later confirmed the news with police on Friday.

“We don’t know who paid his bail,” the mother said. “I asked the policewoman and she said she didn’t know. We decided that if he is going to be released, it’s important to warn people because he is a danger to the public — especially Israelis and Jews.

“I never thought that something like this would happen to me here in Thailand, where people are so friendly toward Israelis. I’m always careful and don’t say that I’m from Israel. But here in Thailand, I thought it was safe.”

Samui Exotic Park posted a pointed message after a confrontation with an Israeli family.

No entry at Samui zoo

A day after the incident on Koh Phangan, a zoo on Koh Samui refused entry to an Israeli family after learning their nationality, according to local media reports.

Video taken at Samui Exotic Park also showed an employee headbutting the father in front of his daughters.

The owner subsequently posted an Israeli flag marked “no entry” beside a shooting target.

Samui Exotic Park park said earlier that it had received threatening messages from an Israeli tourist — followed by a wave of one-star reviews online — after displaying a “Free Palestine” sign.

Alona Fisher-Kamm, the Israeli ambassador to Thailand, on Thursday visited Surat Thani, where she spoke with the governor about tourism, business and public safety issues involving the southern province’s growing Israeli community.