{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1013450,
        "msgid": "thai-saudi-ties-may-be-severed-saudi-envoy-1447893297",
        "date": "1994-10-03 00:00:00",
        "title": "Thai-Saudi ties may be severed: Saudi envoy",
        "author": null,
        "source": "AFP",
        "tags": null,
        "topic": null,
        "summary": "Thai-Saudi ties may be severed: Saudi envoy BANGKOK (AFP): Saudi Arabia may sever relations with Thailand if Thai authorities are unable to solve the Saudi jewelry case and the murders here of four Saudi diplomats and a businessman, Riyadh's envoy said last Saturday. Saudi Charge d'Affaires Mohammad Said Khoja told local reporters that Thai-Saudi relations would return to normal only when the murders of the diplomats and the businessman and the gems case are resolved.",
        "content": "<p>Thai-Saudi ties may be severed: Saudi envoy<\/p>\n<p>BANGKOK (AFP): Saudi Arabia may sever relations with Thailand<br>\nif Thai authorities are unable to solve the Saudi jewelry case<br>\nand the murders here of four Saudi diplomats and a businessman,<br>\nRiyadh's envoy said last Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>Saudi Charge d'Affaires Mohammad Said Khoja told local<br>\nreporters that Thai-Saudi relations would return to normal only<br>\nwhen the murders of the diplomats and the businessman and the<br>\ngems case are resolved.<\/p>\n<p>\"If the cases cannot be resolved, it is possible that<br>\nbilateral relations will be severed,\" Koja said, adding that the<br>\ndecision was up to his government.<\/p>\n<p>During a three-month period in mid 1989, a Thai servant stole<br>\nUS$20 million in jewelry from the palace of a Saudi prince. The<br>\nThai returned home with the loot and was caught, but only about<br>\n20 percent of the gems were returned and much of what was given<br>\nback was fake.<\/p>\n<p>Three Saudi embassy employees were gunned down in separate but<br>\ncoordinated attacks in Bangkok on Feb. 1, 1990, and Khoja has<br>\nsaid they were killed because they had key information about the<br>\nmissing jewels.<\/p>\n<p>Thailand's new police chief, Pote Bunyachinda, vowed during<br>\nhis swearing in ceremony Friday to pursue the case of the missing<br>\njewelry no matter where it takes him, news reports said.<\/p>\n<p>Businessman Mohammed al-Ruwali disappeared here on Feb. 12,<br>\n1990, and Khoja has said he was abducted and killed after he made<br>\na phone call to a friend in Saudi Arabia in which he said he knew<br>\nabout the jewels.<\/p>\n<p>A fifth Saudi, embassy third secretary Salah el-Malik, was<br>\nmurdered on Jan. 4, 1990, but his death is not believed to be<br>\nlinked to the missing gems.<\/p>\n<p>Khoja repeated his confidence in the government efforts to<br>\nresolve the cases.<\/p>\n<p>He also said he believes the large blue diamond worth some 320<br>\nmillion baht ($12.8 million), which is considered to be the key<br>\npiece stolen, is still in Thailand and in possession of a police<br>\ngeneral.<\/p>\n<p>The envoy said he would be satisfied if the jewelry is<br>\nretrieved, even if no one is brought to justice.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/thai-saudi-ties-may-be-severed-saudi-envoy-1447893297",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}