Thailand’s ‘Blue Diamond Affair’ jinxed its Saudi Arabia ties for decades. Can Prayuth’s visit lift the curse?

Prayuth Chan-ocha’s two-day visit to Saudi Arabia from Tuesday will be the first by a Thai prime minister to the Middle East kingdom in more than three decades

Their diplomatic feud, known as the ‘Blue Diamond Affair’, was sparked by a 1989 jewel theft that left a trail of murder, mystery and intrigue in its wake

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Prayuth Chan-ocha will become the first Thai prime minister to visit Saudi Arabia in more than three decades on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:30pm, 24 Jan 2022

Thailand and Saudi Arabia will hold their first high-level talks in decades on Tuesday when Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha travels to Riyadh, more than 30 years after a diplomatic row over a US$20 million jewel theft soured relations.

The “Blue Diamond Affair”, as it became known, began with Thai cleaner Kriangkrai Techamong, who in 1989 stole a hoard of precious gems from the palace of his employer, Prince Faisal bin Fahd: the eldest son of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia.

Thai police later returned some of the jewels but Saudi officials claimed most were fakes, while the whereabouts of the most precious gem – a rare 50-carat blue diamond said to be the size of an egg – remains unknown.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman invited Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha for Tuesday’s state visit. Photo: AFP

Riyadh downgraded diplomatic relations with Bangkok following the incident and the spate of murders, abductions and mystery that followed were said to have been caused by a curse. In superstitious Thailand, precious stones are believed to carry with them certain powers that can bode good or evil.