• New Thai govt seeks to normalize ties

  Filed under News
  Jan 30

  RIYADH: Thailand has stepped up efforts to restore normal relations with Saudi Arabia, which were strained following the murder of three Saudi diplomats and a high-profile jewelry theft case involving a Thai worker in the 1980s.

  There is a renewed effort by the new Thai government led by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resolve the pending cases, said Charn Jullamon, Thai charge daffaires, here yesterday.

  The unresolved Saudi cases are on the priority list of the new Thai administration and Prime Minister Abhisit has ordered the Thai police to make more efforts to investigate the cases, said Charn, commenting on reports published in The Nation, a Thai English daily, and other newspapers this week.

  If the cases remain unresolved, it will affect the countrys image concerning justice, Abhisit was quoted as saying in the report.

  Referring to the unresolved cases, Charn said: The aim of the new government is to normalize diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia by resolving the Blue Diamond theft case, the murder of three Saudi diplomats in 1989 and the case of the disappearance of a Saudi businessman in 1990.

  He said that the cases need immediate attention because the statute of limitations of the cases will expire next year.

  The Thai diplomat said: The Saudi position is the same as it was 20 years back. They want results before they decide to restore full ties. But that does not mean that Thai expatriates, particularly Thai students studying in Saudi Arabia face any problem.

  Thai Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga has instructed the Thailands Department of Special Investigation to wrap up the jewelry theft case before its statute of limitations expires in 2010.

  Pirapan has ordered DSI Director General Col. Thawee Sodsong to speed up the investigations. Thawee recently reported that 90 percent investigation had been completed and police were looking for some key evidences in the Saudi cases. The first Saudi diplomat Abdullah Al-Maliki was gunned down in Bangkok in1989. After that Abdullah A. Al-Besri, Fahad A.Z. Al-Bahli and Ahmed A. Al-Saif were assassinated in January 1990.

  

  

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  Tagged as: Abdullah A. Al-Besri, Abdullah Al-Maliki, Abhisit Vejjajiva, Adilet, Ahmed A. Al-Saif, Bangkok;, Charn Jullamon, DSI, Fahad A.Z. Al-Bahli, Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Thai Justice, Thai administration, Thai government, Thai police, Thailand, Thailands Department of Special Investigation, Thawee Sodsong, The Nation
  
  1 Comment

One Response to “New Thai govt seeks to normalize ties”

1. Blue Diamond Affair Re-Revisited said on August 6th, 2009 at 11:52 am

   [...] the other way round. Saudi Arabia is still waiting for justice. Prime Minister Abhisit wants to draw a line under the decades old case to normalize relations with the Saudis. After 19 years – finally? – an [...]

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