Blue Diamond Affair
Encyclopedia
The Blue Diamond Affair was a series of events triggered by the 1989 theft of gems belonging to the Saudi royal family by a Thai
employee. The affair has soured relations between Saudi Arabia and Thailand for more than 20 years.
worker, stole jewelry and other invaluable gems from the palace of Prince Faisal bin Fahd
where he was employed as a janitor
. Kriangkrai Techamong had access to the princess
's bedroom. He managed to hide the stolen jewelry in a vacuum cleaner
bag at the palace at that time. The haul included a valuable Blue diamond
and other gems, which Kriangkrai stole from the palace and shipped back to his home in Lampang province
, Thailand.
An investigation launched by a team from the Royal Thai Police
spearheaded, at that time, by Lieutenant-General Chalor Kerdthes, which led to the arrest of Kriangkrai and recovered most of the stolen jewelry. Kriangkai was sentenced to seven years in prison
, but he was released after three years since he confessed to the court.
When a team of Royal Thai policemen under Lieutenant-General Chalor Kerdthes flew to Saudi Arabia to return the stolen jewelry the Saudi Arabian authority checked them and stated that about half of the returned jewels were fake and the Blue Diamond was missing.
Mohammad al-Ruwaili, a Saudi Arabian businessman close to the Saudi royal family travelled to Bangkok to investigate the case, but was abducted and killed. Three months later, three officials from the Saudi Embassy were also shot to death in Bangkok. The murders remain unsolved to this day.
Lieutenant-General Chalor, himself was convicted of ordering the murder of the wife and son of a gem dealer involved in the affair in 1995, and sentenced to death. The supreme court upheld the lower courts' ruling and sentenced Lieutenant-General Chalor to death on October 16, 2009. Six other officers were also found guilty pertaining to the dealer's family death.
level. The number of Thai workers in Saudi Arabia fell from over 150,000 in 1989 to 10,000 in 2006.
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
employee. The affair has soured relations between Saudi Arabia and Thailand for more than 20 years.
The theft and recovery
In 1989, Kriangkrai Techamong, a ThaiThai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
worker, stole jewelry and other invaluable gems from the palace of Prince Faisal bin Fahd
Faisal bin Fahd
Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz was the eldest son of Fahd of Saudi Arabia. He served as Minister of Labor and Minister of Youth, and was president or chairman of many bodies relating to sport....
where he was employed as a janitor
Janitor
A janitor or custodian is a professional who takes care of buildings, such as hospitals and schools. Janitors are responsible primarily for cleaning, and often some maintenance and security...
. Kriangkrai Techamong had access to the princess
Princess
Princess is the feminine form of prince . Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or his daughters....
's bedroom. He managed to hide the stolen jewelry in a vacuum cleaner
Vacuum cleaner
A vacuum cleaner, commonly referred to as a "vacuum," is a device that uses an air pump to create a partial vacuum to suck up dust and dirt, usually from floors, and optionally from other surfaces as well. The dirt is collected by either a dustbag or a cyclone for later disposal...
bag at the palace at that time. The haul included a valuable Blue diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
and other gems, which Kriangkrai stole from the palace and shipped back to his home in Lampang province
Lampang Province
Lampang is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Chiang Rai, Phayao, Phrae, Sukhothai, Tak, Lamphun and Chiang Mai. The old name of Lampang is Khelang Nakhon.-Geography:...
, Thailand.
An investigation launched by a team from the Royal Thai Police
Royal Thai Police
The Royal Thai Police are the national police of Thailand.-About:Primary responsibility for the maintenance of public order through enforcement of the kingdom's laws was exercised by the Thailand National Police Department , a subdivision of the Ministry of Interior...
spearheaded, at that time, by Lieutenant-General Chalor Kerdthes, which led to the arrest of Kriangkrai and recovered most of the stolen jewelry. Kriangkai was sentenced to seven years in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, but he was released after three years since he confessed to the court.
When a team of Royal Thai policemen under Lieutenant-General Chalor Kerdthes flew to Saudi Arabia to return the stolen jewelry the Saudi Arabian authority checked them and stated that about half of the returned jewels were fake and the Blue Diamond was missing.
Mohammad al-Ruwaili, a Saudi Arabian businessman close to the Saudi royal family travelled to Bangkok to investigate the case, but was abducted and killed. Three months later, three officials from the Saudi Embassy were also shot to death in Bangkok. The murders remain unsolved to this day.
Lieutenant-General Chalor, himself was convicted of ordering the murder of the wife and son of a gem dealer involved in the affair in 1995, and sentenced to death. The supreme court upheld the lower courts' ruling and sentenced Lieutenant-General Chalor to death on October 16, 2009. Six other officers were also found guilty pertaining to the dealer's family death.
Diplomatic repercussions
Saudi Arabia stopped issuing working visas for Thais and discouraged its citizens from visiting Bangkok. Diplomatic missions were downgraded to chargé d'affairesChargé d'affaires
In diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
level. The number of Thai workers in Saudi Arabia fell from over 150,000 in 1989 to 10,000 in 2006.