¶1. (SBU) Summary: In the latest chapter of a two decade-long
saga which has long soured Thai-Saudi relations, the Royal
Thai Government (RTG) Office of the Attorney General on
January 12 indicted five police officers in connection with
the 1990 murder of a Saudi Arabian businessman with family
ties to the Saudi royal family, just weeks before the
expiration of the 20-year statute of limitations. In 1989, a
Thai worker in the Saudi Arabian royal palace stole a large
quantity of jewelry and smuggled it back to Thailand,
including a 50-carat blue diamond. The graft, murders, and
kidnappings that followed this incident resulted in a rift in
the Saudi-Thai relationship that has lasted to the present
day, compounded by the murder of four Saudi diplomats in
1989-1990 in circumstances never clearly explained publicly.
In their effort to respond to Saudi demands for justice, the
RTG seeks to hold senior members of the Royal Thai Police
(RTP) accountable for their part in the drama and, in doing
so, normalize relations with Saudi Arabia and possibly reap
economic benefits through expanded trade and investment with
gulf states.