Saudi-Thailand Blue Diamond Affair—After three decades of distrust and antagonism stemming from a dramatic jewelry heist, Saudi Arabia ordered the restoration of full diplomatic ties with Thailand and said the countries had agreed to exchange ambassadors.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha made an official visit to the Kingdom of Thailand, which was the highest-level encounter between the two countries since the 1989 political scandal strained their relations. Diplomatic relations between Thailand and Saudi Arabia were reduced following the robbery of the Blue Diamond, which resulted in several mystery killings. That’s why the Saudi-Thailand Blue Diamond Affair was big source of rift between countries.
After negotiations at the royal palace on Tuesday, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s de facto leader, decided to put the past behind him and strengthen economic, security, and political ties with Prayuth.
According to the statement, investing in energy and petrochemicals, tourism, and hospitality are all possible areas of cooperation between the two countries. Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s economic reform plan to wean off oil, places a high value on tourism.
On the other hand, Saudi Arabian Airlines said in a Twitter post that it would begin flying directly from Riyadh to Bangkok starting in May.
A diplomatic thaw in relations that have been cooled by the Saudi-Thailand Blue Diamond Affair, a succession of capers and assassinations, began today with the start of Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-official Rocha’s two-day visit to Saudi Arabia.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for the first high-level meeting between the two countries in more than three decades following a stunning jewelry robbery that ignited diplomatic tension and led to many unsolved deaths.
The Saudi-Thailand Blue Diamond Affair
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-official cha’s travel to Riyadh is an indication that the two countries are working to repair their strained ties that date back to the 1989 affair. Due to the Saudi-Thailand Blue Diamond Affair, Saudi Arabia has reduced its diplomatic relations with Thailand.
A huge step forward was made when Prayut visited, but his covert entry into the country suggested tensions remained. There was no live television coverage of the arrival of Saudi Arabia’s prime minister at Riyadh International Airport.
In contrast, the country’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greeted Prayut by leading him down the purple carpet for significant state visits and taking him to the king’s palace for meetings hours later.
Regarding this week’s trip, a Saudi government statement was cryptic, saying only that Saudi Arabia was eager to develop collaborative cooperation and build bridges of communication with other countries.
An estimated $20 million in gems and jewels was stolen by a Thai janitor from the Saudi prince’s residence, and it ruined relations between the two countries. Included in the loot was an exquisite 50-carat blue diamond. Thai workers have had their visas revoked, thousands of Thai Muslims have been denied permission to travel to Mecca for the annual hajj pilgrimage, and the kingdom has urged its residents not to travel to Thailand.
Thai police opened fire on three Saudi officials seeking the return of the stolen goods in said Saudi-Thailand Blue Diamond Affair. It is suspected that a Saudi tycoon located in Bangkok was also involved in the search for the lost jewels, and his death is being treated as an accident. In the end, no one was found guilty of the murders.
Many of the gems brought back to Saudi Arabia by Thai police were fake, despite the Thai authorities claiming to have solved the case. The wives of Thailand’s top officials were observed wearing diamond necklaces that looked eerily similar to those taken from the palace. Nothing was ever found of the famous blue diamond.
In Thailand’s police forces, graft and abuse of power run rampant, and the tale exposed the corruption and abuse of power that runs rampant in Thailand’s police forces.
For years, Thailand has sought to mend fences with oil-rich Saudi Arabia to recoup billions of dollars in lost tourism and worker remittances.
The youthful and ambitious Prince Mohammed has turned his attention to the outside world to garner international support and mend rifts with regional adversaries like Iran, Qatar, Turkey, and Pakistan.
For the first time in recent memory, Saudi Arabia is actively attempting to change its image as one of the world’s most secluded nations with a dismal record on human rights to attract visitors and investors from around the world.
After more than 30 years, Thailand and Saudi Arabia announced that they had agreed to restore diplomatic ties and finally putting an end to the Saudi-Thailand Blue Diamond Affair.
With the appointment of ambassadors between Thailand and Saudi Arabia, Thailand’s Prime Minister and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman described the agreement as a “historic step.” Since the infamous theft of valuable gems in 1989, diplomatic relations between the two countries have deteriorated. Blue-diamond affair” was the name given to it. After a Thai cleaner stole $20 million worth of gems from a Saudi prince’s home, the Saudis accused Thai police of mishandling the investigation, igniting the dispute.
Even though Saudi Arabia dispatched someone to investigate the theft in 1990, he inexplicably vanished a year later, when assassins killed three Saudi diplomats, sources allege. But today, the Saudi-Thailand Blue Diamond Affair finally comes to a happy end.