Murder probe to put ties on track

Murder probe to put ties on track

THAILAND: Officials are hoping that a revived investigation into the murder of four Saudi Arabians in Bangkok more than a decade ago will end a long period of hostility between the two kingdoms.

Thai Justice Minister Phongthep Thepkarnchana said on Friday that the initiative to reopen the politically sensitive murder cases had come straight from Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thaksin, under pressure to improve Thailand's floundering economy, is hoping to re-open Saudi Arabia as a major source of income for Thai workers. The number of Thai workers in the country was cut drastically because of Riyadh's frustration over the failure of Thai police to solve the crimes.

The Saudi government also discouraged its citizens from visiting Thailand, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars in potential tourist income.

The Thai-Saudi rift dates back to 1989, when the Saudi Arabian embassy's third secretary was shot dead in front of his home in Bangkok. In 1990 two more Saudi diplomats and a staff member at the embassy also were gunned down. --DPA