The Blue Diamond Affair - Arrest Warrant Issued in Thailand

There is loads of information on the net about this 20 year old story but surprisingly, a lot of people are unaware of it these days. I've never started a thread about it because it just faded into the background noise of all the crazy things in Thailand... but amazingly, this saga has been re-kindled...

You may or may not be aware of it but Thailand and Saudi Arabian relations are just about as bad as they can get and it's down to one of the biggest scandals in modern Thai history... and IMO it is a gargantuan example of the state of the judiciary and law enforcement in this country. Saudi diplomats that were attempting to investigate a theft from the Saudi Royal Family (Thai worker was the thief) were assassinated in Thailand, witnesses and children were murdered, a total f#####g mess of the highest order, carried out by Thailand's finest in tight brown uniforms. Without repeating what's already been written in volumes elsewhere, if you need a primer on the Blue Diamond Affair, read the following and then come back to this thread...



There is also this 1994 article from the New York Times...



The Economist sums up nicely. I wonder if Thais will ever begin to grasp the shame and disgrace of their country's justice system...
Thailand's Lousy Police Force

And now we have this lip service from Abhisit's attempt to normalise relations with Saudi Arabia...

Published on August 6, 2009



It's an amazing saga, isn't it... If you didn't know it really happened, you'd think it was the screenplay of some movie that never got made because the script was too far fetched. Frederick Forsyth or Ian Flemming would have been proud to say they'd penned the story. The case thoroughly exposed the ineptitude, corruption and low grade of the Thai police and justice system... and the jewels, which have never been returned, were said to have been split between the rich and connected of the country. It's just incredible that it's taken 19 years to issue that arrest warrant. My guess is that the person named on the warrant (if he even exists) is probably safely dead...
... and early next year, The statute of limitations expires on investigations...

Hmmm...

The chances of this ever being resolved to the satisfaction of the Saudis are about the same as the likelihood they'll drag those containers from the bottom of the gulf of Thailand.

There were also other repurcusions for the Thai economy.
More than 200,000 Thai workers were deported from Saudi as a result of this incident. How many jobs since then have been given to other nationalities instead of hiring Thais is anybody's guess.

Saudi nationals are also banned from travel to Thailand unless they can prove that they have a legitimate business need to go to Thailand. As with everything in Saudi, if you have the wasta then these rules don't apply.

One thing that the Thais should be aware of is that Arabs never forget, and will hold a grudge for centuries until revenge is exacted. Some even go as far as saying that the 9-11 attacks were a pay back for the Crusades. A bit far fetched, but entirely possible I guess.

Mandrunk, on 07 August 2009 - 05:25 AM, said:

The way this happened seems to be well known to reporters in Thailand, but of course it will never be reported. And everyone knows who has the Blue Diamond.

This was big news just a few years after I settled in Thailand.

What's the betting they solve the case just after the statute of limitations has run out and no one can be prosecuted? That would be the perfect Thai solution. I doubt the bulk of the jewels will be found though.

This post has been edited by camerata: 07 August 2009 - 10:34 AM

A Saudi arguing about the lack of justice in a country makes me giggle. I agree that the Thai justice system is a farce, but it couldn't happen to a nicer country.

hobbler, on 07 August 2009 - 06:30 PM, said:

This Saudi guy is totally ridiculous. He better should do something about justice in his own country.

Just a few sentences out of a long report about Saudi Arabia and its justice system...The report even did not stop to say, how much Saudi Arabia is supported by the USA. There are plenty of similar reports complaining about Saudi Arabia all over the internet.


http://www.hrw.org/en/node/79258

...Human rights conditions remain poor in Saudi Arabia...

...The government-approved National Society for Human Rights failed to issue its second annual report in 2008. The governmental Human Rights Commission opened a women's branch, but its board remained all-male.

...The government also failed to enact an amendment, first proposed in 2005, to extend labor law protections to the 1.5 million migrant domestic workers in the country. Asian embassies report thousands of complaints each year from domestic workers who are forced to work 15-20 hours a day, seven days a week, and denied their wages. Many endure a range of abuses including forced confinement in the workplace, food deprivation, and psychological, physical, and sexual abuse.

...Saudi Arabia is a key ally of the United States and the United Kingdom.
US pressure for human rights improvements was imperceptible in a year that saw visits by President Bush, Vice-President Cheney, and Secretary of State Rice. UK efforts through the Two Kingdoms Dialogue to promote human rights had no tangible effect, if such efforts were made at all.

I remember a friend of mine, a Head Judge in Nan Province, giving a ring to his wife from this robbery. Don't recall whatever happened to the ring, but it was sure beautiful

This post has been edited by Ajarn: 21 August 2009 - 11:07 AM

Have you been following the movement on this case this week? The statute of limitations runs out next month...


Interesting posturing by Abhisit's government here. Thoughts?...

There was a review of the whole business in the Bangkok Post's Spectrum magazine last Sunday, pointing out that any opportunity for resolution will be gone once the statute of limitation runs out. Everyone accepts that the Blue Diamond will never be found (not sure if it has anything to do with the rumours as to who has it or not).

Time did a piece on the Blue Diamond debacle the other day...