Surapong in talks to repair Saudi relations

NEW YORK : The tense relations between Thailand and Saudi Arabia is likely to ease somewhat after the official bilateral talks were held for the first time in more than two decades.

Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul yesterday met Saudi Arabian Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

A source in the Foreign Ministry said that Thai representatives approached their Saudi Arabian counterparts to discuss the resumption of relations _ this was the first time in 21 years that Saudi Arabia has agreed to hold official bilateral talks with the Thai government.

The last high-ranking official to talk officially with Saudi Arabia was Asa Sarasin, former permanent secretary of the Foreign Ministry.

Bilateral ties have been strained due to a series of incidents: the theft of gems belonging to the Saudi royal family by a Thai employee in 1989, the murders in 1989 and 1990 of four Saudi diplomats in Bangkok and the disappearance in 1990 of Saudi businessman Mohammad al-Ruwaili, who lived in Thailand at the time.

Mr Surapong said the Saudi Arabian government wants more information about those unresolved cases.

Mr Surapong told Prince Abdulaziz that the government recently appointed him as head of a committee to follow up on the controversial incidents and he was ready to work with other agencies to move the cases forward.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra in August ordered a committee established to oversee Saudi-related crime cases. The panel is chaired by Mr Surapong, with Justice Minister Pol Gen Pracha Promnok as deputy.

The committee will integrate the work of various agencies pursuing the cases, a government source said. The panel will also try to move towards restoring relations between Thailand and Saudi Arabia.

Mr Surapong said the statute of limitations in some cases had expired, such as the stolen gems case. But if the Saudi government had new information about the case, the two sides could cooperate.

"No conditions have been set at this time to resume relations, as more time is needed," said Mr Surapong.

Thawee Sodsong, director of the the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre, took a team to Saudi Arabia recently to inform the Saudis about the work of Thai authorities.

Pol Col Tawee said he recently visited Saudi Arabia to clarify the status of the investigations into the crimes against influential Saudis in Thailand.

He was accompanied by officials who have worked on the cases, including DSI deputy chief Narat Sawettanan, Corrections Department director-general Suchart Wonganantachai and senior Muslim politician Wan Muhammad Nor Matha.

Share your thoughts

Discussion 1 : 27/09/2012 at 02:46 PM
"Mr Surapong said the statute of limitations in some cases had expired, such as the stolen gems case. But if the Saudi government had new information about the case, the two sides could cooperate". Saudi Arabia has a statute of limitations in this case ??...
Discussion 2 : 27/09/2012 at 09:54 AM
Whilst I accept these cases could and should have been dealt with years ago Saudi can not claim to be innocent in such matters. As one who has worked in the Middle East for 11 years I've seen how Thai maids and masseurs have been treated, indeed, many committed suicide. Much of what happens in the South can be traced to Saudi, the mentors of all Muslim terrorists. Both sides have erred and both need to cooperate for the good of both.
Discussion 3 : 27/09/2012 at 09:08 AM
If you dig deeper into the story, some of the gems ended up in the policemens hands but that is where stories always get twisted and cases gone cold. It was even harder to prosecute them two decades ago as they are willing to do anything to silence anyone.
Discussion 4 : 27/09/2012 at 04:52 AM
The case should have been handled 20+ years ago, but incompetence then ensured it did not happen. Unlikely that the police should be able to solve the case now, but one never know....a recent example from the UK showed that it took 23 years for the British police to admit they lied, altered witness statements and generally screwed up big time in connection with the Hillsborough incident where 96 people perished after a football match...so maybe there is still hope here too.

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