Saudi Arabia
- Thailand News
Thailand and Saudi Arabia patch things up 33 years after Blue Diamond Affair
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha visited Saudi Arabia earlier this week, and Thailand and Saudi mended relations they broke 33 years ago following the Blue Diamond Affair in 1989 where a Thai cleaner in Saudi’s royal palace stole diamonds worth US$20 million from the prince. The next year, three Saudi diplomats and a businessman trying to recover the gems were killed. According…
- World News
Thailand and Saudi Arabia to exchange ambassadors, resume full diplomatic ties
Following a meeting yesterday between Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and the Saudi leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, both countries have agreed to restore diplomatic ties in the near future. The Bangkok Post reports that Thailand and Saudi Arabia will exchange ambassadors as part of the agreement. Things have been frosty between the two countries since a diplomatic spat over…
- Thailand News
Prayut’s Saudi Arabia trip a ‘breakthrough’ after 30 years of tense relations
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is currently in Saudi Arabia in an effort to restore Thai-Saudi economic and diplomatic relations. Experts say the trip, which is the first government trip between the two countries after 30 years, is a huge breakthrough after three decades of tense relations between the two countries. Relations first turned cold in 1989 after the Blue Diamond Affair…
- Thailand News
Thai PM to visit Saudi Arabia as guest of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman
The Thai PM will be in Saudi Arabia tomorrow and Wednesday, invited by its leader, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Prayut Chan-o-cha’s brief visit was confirmed by a statement from Government House yesterday. According to the statement, the visit aims to promote bilateral ties between both countries. A statement from the Saudi ministry says the trip is for both governments…
- Covid-19 News
25 Thais returning from Mecca pilgrimage infected with Omicron variant
25 of 31 Thai pilgrims recently returned from a pilgrimage to Mecca have tested positive for the Omicron variant. The Bangkok Post reports that the group landed at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport from Saudi Arabia on December 15. According to the report, most of the passengers are from central Thailand, with 14 from Nonthaburi, 4 are from Pathum Thani, 4 from…
- World News
FBI releases 9/11 file documenting probe into Saudi Arabia’s possible role
The FBI has released a document pertaining to its investigation into any involvement by the Saudi Arabian government in the 9/11 terror attacks. The release was ordered by US President Joe Biden following demands from the victims’ families, but does not provide any proof of official Saudi involvement. According to a Nation Thailand report, in 2019, the Trump administration responded…
- Covid-19 News
US Air Force lands in India with much-needed Covid-19 supplies, other foreign aid on the way
As India has recently requested foreign aid to help with its severe Covid-19 situation, a US Air Force aircraft has landed in the South Asian country, answering that call with Covid-19 relief supplies. The aircraft departed from California and, according to a statement by the US Department of Defense, was packed with cargo pallets containing more than 400 oxygen cylinders…
- Covid-19 News
1 new Covid-19 death, 7 new cases in quarantine
Thailand reported its first Covid-19 death since June, tallying up the death toll to 59. Health officials also report 7 new Covid-19 cases detected in quarantine. They say 1 person had the virus before. The 54 year old Mhad Mamin worked as a Thai translator at an embassy in Saudi Arabia. He came back to Thailand last month and tested positive…
- Covid-19 News
World Covid-19 cases accelerate as the toll surpasses 9 million infections
Global coronavirus infections have now topped 9 million infections with the Covid-19 pandemic accelerating in cases. As parts of the world start to open up the World Health Organisation is warning that, far from even getting to a second wave, most of the world is still deep into its first wave. Europe has been steadily easing community and even travel…
- World News
Saudi Arabia holds limited Hajj due to Covid-19
Saudi Arabia is holding a very limited Hajj this year, due to the current Covid-19 pandemic. Pilgrims who are already in the Kingdom will be permitted to conduct the annual Muslim rite, which usually draws millions to religious sites. The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam and is a must for Muslims at least once in their lives. …
- Covid-19 News
5 Thai students test positive for Covid-19 after returning from Saudi Arabia
5 students, who returned to Thailand from Saudi Arabia via Malaysia, have now been confirmed as being infected with the Covid-19 virus. The students are part of a group of 39 returning citizens who arrived back in the country via the Padang Besar road checkpoint at the Malaysian border. All 39 are reported to be in mandatory state quarantine at…
- Covid-19 News
Oil prices tank, as crisis fuels calls to re-open economies
And now a global oil crisis hits home as well. Oil prices have crashed into negative territory after global coronavirus-related travel restrictions impacted demand. After addressing the early crisis with ‘lockdowns’ and social distancing, now the narrative pivots to lifting stay-at-home orders and re-opening economies. Some European countries have taken tentative steps to ease restrictions as coronavirus death rates start to…
- Covid-19 News
Korean virus cases skyrocket; Japanese passenger turns positive
The number of COVID-19 coronavirus cases in Korea has increased tenfold in just four days to 556, and a passenger on the virus-stricken Diamond Princess tested positive after arriving home in Japan, despite a negative result during the ship’s 14-day quarantine. Yesterday, China’s Hubei province, where the outbreak began, saw 96 deaths, another decrease, in line with the toll reported…
- World News
BTS first foreign artists to perform solo concert in Saudi Arabia tonight
PHOTO: BTS performing in front of 60,000 fans during their “Love Yourself” tour in Hong Kong – SCMP No band has ever commanded a concert stage, alone, in Saudi Arabia. Remarkable but true. But South Korea’s BTS is breaking down yet another barrier with tonight’s stadium concert in the Kingdom. Aside from being their first ever concert in Saudi Arabia,…
- Opinion
Opinion: Sovereignty, rights ignored in airport debacle – The Nation
Thailand could have blood on its hands if it fails to protect a Saudi traveller on her journey to freedom. The fate of a Saudi woman on her way to Australia, where she has a visa and seeks to obtain asylum, teetered in the balance in Bangkok at press time yesterday. Amid Thailand’s apparent willingness to deport her back to…
- Bangkok News
UPDATE: Standoff at Suvarnabhumi – Thai Immigration reverse decision
Speaking at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport where Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun is refusing to board a flight back to her family that she fled in Saudi Arabi, Lt. Gen. Surachate Hakparn says now that Thailand has reversed it’s thinking on the matter and will not deport her against her will. “If deporting would result in her death we definitely won’t do…
- Bangkok News
Saudi teen fleeing family abuse seeking asylum in Australia, detained in Bangkok airport.
PHOTO: Sophie McNeill (Twitter) A young Saudi woman is being held at Bangkok’s main international airport after she fled from her family and attempted to make it to Australia. The girl, 18 year old Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, was on a family holiday in Kuwait when she decided to run away. She was on her way to Australia but has been…
