A jewellery theft, a string of murders and a missing businessman are cases to be solved
Twenty years ago Thai janitor Kriangkrai Techamong snuck into the home of Saudi Prince Faisal Bihn Abdul Ra-ish in Riyadh in the dead of night - his actions changing the course of relations between the two countries for the next 20 years.
Some time between June 20 and Aug 8 in 1989, Kriangkrai, entered the royal residence through a second-floor window after hiding in a guest house until midnight.
Inside the prince's dressing room he used a screwdriver to open a safe and stole jewellery, precious stones, cash and valuables totalling 502 million baht, according to prosecution documents tendered to the Criminal Court in 1994.
Among his plunder of diamond-studded watches and ornaments was the 50-carat Blue Diamond, a priceless heirloom of the Saudi royals. Such was the huge size of the haul - 90kg in total - suspicions persist that Kriangkrai, who was employed by the royal household, may not have acted alone.
He eventually served two-and-a-half years in jail for the theft after receiving two royal pardons and is now said to be living a "modest" life with his wife in a one-storey wooden house in Lampang's Thoen district.
But the theft, the murders of four Saudi embassy staff, the disappearance of a Saudi businessman and the alleged role senior Thai police played in keeping a substantial part of the booty for themselves has set the two countries apart for two decades.
AN IMPERFECT CRIME
It's a complicated tale of greed, murder and cover-ups, but the diplomatic price has been heavy. In 1990 there were more than 200,000 Thai workers in Saudi Arabia; today that figure numbers 10,000. Also, Saudi investment dollars have dried up and its nationals are discouraged from holidaying in the Land of Smiles.
As the 20-year statute of limitations for the 1990 murders of the Saudi nationals draws nearer, the Saudi government wants some indication that progress is being made to resolve at least one of the murder cases, which could clear the way for normalisation of relations between the two countries.
It didn't take long for Kriangkrai's bold larceny to be revealed after the Saudi royals asked the Thai government for help to track the culprits. On Jan 10, 1990, Kriangkrai was arrested in Mae Sot, Tak province, and admitted stealing the jewels. He told investigators the major part of the jewellery stash _ three suitcases _ had been sent by air freight to Thailand before he returned home, and more jewels were retrieved from the jungle in Thoen, Lampang province, near the house of a friend of his.
Two days later he was paraded before the press in Bangkok and the recovered jewels were put on display. The haul was handed over to the Crime Suppression Division headquarters in Bangkok by lead investigator Pol Maj-Gen Chalor Kerdthes, and kept at the Central Investigation Bureau. But many jewels were still missing, believed to have been sold to three jewellers.
Kriangkrai's arrest was followed by the murders and disappearance of four Saudis _ three of them diplomatic staff _ in less than five weeks.
On Feb 1, 1990, three embassy staff _ Abdullah al-Besri, Fahad Albahli and Ahmed Alsaif _ were gunned down execution style about five minutes apart in two separate shootings in Bangkok.
Saudi businessman Mohammad al-Ruwaili, a shareholder in the Sincere International Recruitment Company on Lat Phrao Road, reported to be in a car with one of the slain diplomats, went missing on Feb 14.
A year earlier on Jan 4, 1989, another Saudi diplomat, third secretary Saleh Abdullah Al-Maliki, 35, was shot dead in front of his home in Soi Piphat 1, off Sathorn Road, adding further to Saudi suspicions, although the killing appears unrelated to the theft.
For years senior Thai police denied the executions were connected to the jewellery case. Crime Suppression Division Pol Lt-Col Sithiporn Nonjui, who investigated the murder and jewellery cases, said in 1994 the killings were conducted by a drug-trafficking gang which had murdered 100 Saudi tourists in Pattaya and was involved in ''exporting'' Thai workers to Saudi Arabia by issuing bogus visas.
Another theory put forward by Thai police was that the slayings were an international terrorist act, triggered by the conflict between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims and that the missing businessman, al-Ruwaili, was a secret agent.
But outspoken former Saudi envoy Mohammed Said Khoja made it clear who he thought was responsible, saying it was ''easy to cover up'' cases in Thailand.
''The two cases are linked,'' said Mr Khoja said in a 1995 interview. ''The diplomats were killed because they knew about the jewellery case and the businessman because he was close to the diplomats and also knew about the jewellery case,'' he said.
INSULT TO INJURY
In March 1990, the recovered jewels were personally handed over to the Saudi prince at a ceremony attended by Pol Maj-Gen Chalor, his wife Michelle and two other Thai police officers.
But one month later, Mr Khoja gave then Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan an official letter from Saudi Arabia, stating that 70% of the jewels were fake. Most troubling for the Saudis was that the precious Blue Diamond was still missing.
Saudi Arabia, which suspected Thai police were involved in the deception, downgraded diplomatic ties and a fact-finding team was set up to look for the gems. There were reports in the Thai-language press that news photographers had snapped the stolen jewellery, including diamond necklaces, being worn at a gala dinner and charity function. In June, Saudi Arabia cut off work permits for 200,000 Thai migrant workers in protest.
Maj-Gen Chalor blamed Kriangkrai for mixing in the fakes to trick buyers, and added that while police were aware of this, all the jewels had been returned with the exception of two diamonds and 20 watches.
The case rumbled along for the next three years, with more jewellery recovered and four suspects _ Santi Sritanakhan; Jaroon Chankong; Prasong Kwangsri; and Surasak Aneksirikul _ arrested for buying the stolen items.
In September 1991, Pol Maj-Gen Chalor and eight other officers were charged with malfeasance and fraud.
Under pressure from the Saudis, a new fact-finding team headed by CIB Commissioner Pol Lt-Gen Thanu Homhual was established to investigate whether police had laid their hands on any stolen items. But Pol Lt-Gen Thanu insisted no police generals were involved, despite accusations by the Saudis one general's wife was seen wearing some of the stolen jewellery at a party.
Claims and counter-claims persisted, with allegations that even some prominent politicians may have pocketed the jewellery. Riyadh continued to express its disappointment that the case had not progressed and accused the Thai government of trying to buy time.
In August 1994, the saga took a dramatic turn when Darawadee and Seri, the wife and son of a key suspect, jewellery trader Santi Sritanakhan, were found dead in their damaged Mercedes-Benz 230E on the Friendship Highway in Saraburi province.
Initial forensic reports said the pair were killed in a road accident, but it was eventually established that they were beaten to death beforehand and the accident was faked. Pol Maj-Gen Chalor and the eight other suspects were arrested in late 1994 over the deaths.
In 2002, after a lengthy trial, Pol Maj-Gen Chalor and three accomplices were sentenced to life in prison for the abduction and murder of Darawadee and her son.
During proceedings, the Criminal Court was told Pol Maj-Gen Chalor believed Santi knew the whereabouts of the missing Blue Diamond. When Santi could not be located, Darawadee and her son were abducted and held in captivity at Kavi Villa in Sa Kaeo province.
Santi also told the court Pol Maj-Gen Chalor had abducted him a year before the killings to try and extort more jewellery from him.
Pol Maj-Gen Chalor denied the charges, but three co-defendants told the court he had ordered them to kidnap Santi's wife and son to force Santi to bring the Blue Diamond to him.
In 2006 Pol Maj-Gen Chalor was given the death sentence by the Appeals Court over the murder and abduction.
Ex-police commissioner Sophon Savikhamin was also accused of involvement in the case, but the charges were later dropped and he was eventually reinstated to the force.
DIPLOMATIC ISSUES
At the forefront of the Saudis' push for justice over a long period of time was former envoy to Thailand Mohammed Said Khoja, who believed the involvement of Thai police in the case did not stop at Pol Maj-Gen Chalor.
Mr Khoja accumulated piles of documents on the cases, including a report by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), official documents from the Thai government, pictures, video tapes, news clippings and minutes of his meetings with various people, including witnesses, some in uniform, in both the jewellery and assassination cases.
In an interview in 1995, he said he accepted that the remaining 30% of the stolen jewels, including the Blue Diamond, were lost forever. But he stressed that what he wanted was answers to the loss of five Saudi lives on Thai soil.
While various administrations promised to re-investigate the case, it was the appointment of a Department of Special Investigation (DSI) team in September 2007, which had no former police on it, which set a new course.
''If new evidence turns up and is sufficient for a criminal prosecution, we'll go ahead,'' said then DSI director-general Sunai Manomai-udom, announcing the new team would be headed by Pol Col Piyawat Kingkate. ''But if we cannot proceed, we'll make a report explaining why we cannot do so.''
In statements since, Saudi Arabia has said it wants Thailand to tackle the unresolved murder cases of its diplomats and return the Blue Diamond as conditions for improving ties between the two countries.
But for now, some resolution of the case of businessman Mohammad al-Ruwaili seems enough of a gesture by Thailand to indicate progress is being made, even as the 20-year statute of limitations looms next month.
On Dec 28, prosecutors postponed consideration of the case until this Tuesday after the five suspects, including Provincial Police Region 5 chief Somkid Boonthanom, submitted a petition complaining about the way the investigation was being conducted.
Pol Lt Gen Somkid is understood to have close ties to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's Democrat Party.
Saudi Arabian charge d'affaires Nabil Hussein Ashri is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister tomorrow to follow up progress in case. Mr Abhisit is expected to push for the resumption of normal ties at the meeting.
What's at stake between the two countries economically is substantial.
Despite the downgrading of diplomatic ties, two-way trade totalled US$5 billion, according to 2005 statistics, with Thailand importing $4 billion worth of goods, mainly in the form of crude oil, petrochemical products and fertiliser.
Thailand's main exports to Saudi Arabia include car parts and accessories, air-conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, rice, fabrics and garments.
There is also the issue of lost Saudi tourist dollars and investment money over the past 20 years.
Most important for the struggling Thai economy is the issue of allowing Thai workers to return to Saudi Arabia in large numbers, which would mean major remittances back home if the figure was to climb to more than 200,000 as it was prior to the falling out.
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