Phuket: Preparations are underway at Chabad Patong in Phuket for tomorrow's Jewish New Year celebrations, even as local activist networks plan to gather outside the venue.
According to Thai News Agency, preparations at the site on Rat U-Thit 200 Pi Road in Kathu district were observed on Thursday morning, with technicians installing electrical wiring ahead of the event. Representatives at the facility declined to provide immediate detail, noting that site managers were unavailable.
Security personnel at the center stated that identity checks via passport remain standard procedure for visitors. Despite earlier expectations of up to 1,000 attendees, organizers have reduced the permitted capacity to approximately 800 people and moved the conclusion of the event forward to 9:00 PM, compared to the original midnight schedule. Official documents previously submitted to provincial authorities indicated the facility's maximum capacity is 700 people.
Concurrently, local activist Saichon Noochet, representing the Phuket Land Protection Group, stated that around 10 local networks-including taxi operators, tourism entrepreneurs, and civic groups-plan to gather near the location tomorrow to express their concerns. Online calls for local residents to assemble outside Chabad Patong have also circulated ahead of the event.
A local community group submitted a petition to Phuket provincial authorities on Tuesday requesting the suspension of an upcoming Israeli community event in Patong scheduled for Sept. 11, citing safety and security concerns related to ongoing Middle East tensions.
Provincial authorities have not issued further public statements regarding the upcoming event as of Thursday morning.