Thailand revokes citizenship of ‘Israeli’ businessman Ariel Blustein in rare move

Thailand has revoked the citizenship of ‘Israeli’-born businessman Ariel Blustein more than six years after he was naturalized, in a rare move announced this week.

Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed the order on October 1st.

The decision was published the same day in the Royal Gazette and took effect immediately.

Blustein, a Bangkok-based gem and jewelry entrepreneur, had obtained Thai nationality through naturalization under the Nationality Act B.E. 2508 (1965).

Notice of his citizenship appeared in the Royal Gazette on April 3, 2019, and he received his first Thai national ID card on June 14 that year.

Thai authorities cited two main grounds for the revocation.

Officials said that on the very day Blustein collected his Thai ID card, he flew to Hong Kong using an ‘Israeli’ passport and returned to Thailand on June 23, 2019, with the same document.

The Interior Ministry described this as continued use of his former nationality, in breach of the conditions for Thai naturalization.

Authorities also alleged that Blustein failed to disclose his Uruguayan citizenship when applying for Thai nationality and did not show any intention to renounce it.

He had reportedly used a Uruguayan passport for travel on several occasions both before and after his naturalization.

The ministry stated that concealing this information “could cause serious harm to the public and the state if left unaddressed.”

The revocation rests on Section 19 of the 1965 Nationality Act, which allows the government to strip nationality from naturalized citizens who continue using a former nationality or who conceal material facts during the application process.

Dual nationality is permitted in Thailand provided the other country also allows it, but naturalized citizens must use their Thai passport to enter and leave the country.

No criminal charges, arrest, or deportation order accompanied the decision.

The case centers solely on the 2019 travel records and the undisclosed Uruguayan citizenship.

Thai media and the Jerusalem Post both described the action as highly unusual, noting that Section 19 has rarely been applied publicly in this manner against naturalized citizens.
Blustein’s naturalization followed the standard, tightly restricted path for foreigners.

The case has drawn attention amid wider government scrutiny of naturalizations and ‘Israeli’ business activities in Thailand.