Prayuth Chan-o-cha this week will become the first Thai prime minister to visit Saudi Arabia in decades, in an effort to “restore trust” in bilateral ties that chilled after a Thai janitor pulled off a major jewel heist from a Riyadh palace 32 years ago, a government spokesman said Monday.
The August 1989 theft of the U.S. $20 million in jewels included a 50-carat blue diamond, which authorities never recovered and remains at the heart of the diplomatic rift.
Prayuth “is honored” by the invitation from Saudi Arabia, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, a spokesman at the prime minister’s office, told a press conference in Bangkok.
“This will be the first high-level visit between the two countries in three decades,” Thanakorn said.
“This visit will help restore trust and improve the relations between the nations and the…
