Saudi Arabia

  • Thailand NewsTourism authorities greet first Saudi direct arrivals, plan new schemes

    Tourism authorities greet first Saudi direct arrivals, plan new schemes

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand greeted Saudi tourist arrivals with traditional Thai performances and a water salute on Monday. The flight was the first direct flight to Thailand from Saudi Arabia in 32 years landed in Bangkok, at Suvarnabhumi Airport. This flight symbolised the recent reconciliation between Thailand and Saudi Arabia after decades of frosty relations following the Blue Diamond…

  • Thailand video newsThailand News Today | Suspicions over Thai actress drowning

    Thailand News Today | Suspicions over Thai actress drowning

    Many Thais are speculating that the drowning of the Thai TV actress Tangmo in the Chao Phraya River was not an accident and police now say they are going to use a lie detector during interrogations. Reports say the 37-year-old woman had gone to the back of the speedboat to urinate but had fallen in at around 10:40 pm Thursday…

  • Thailand NewsFirst direct flight from Saudi Arabia to land in Thailand after mending diplomatic relations

    First direct flight from Saudi Arabia to land in Thailand after mending diplomatic relations

    The first direct flight from Saudi Arabia to Thailand will land at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, a significant step after bilateral ties between the two countries were patched up. Saudi Arabian Airlines flight SV846 from Riyadh will arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 6:05pm today. The airline will operate three flights per week between Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Bangkok, with more flights…

  • Tourism NewsThailand expecting a million Middle Eastern tourists following restoration of Saudi ties

    Thailand expecting a million Middle Eastern tourists following restoration of Saudi ties

    Thailand hopes to restore its battered tourism sector by welcoming around a million Middle Eastern tourists by the end of this year. Government spokesperson Traisulee Traisornkul says the restoration of ties with Saudi Arabia, after a 30-year freeze, will help revive the tourism industry in the kingdom. “Restoring relations between Thailand and Saudi Arabia would play a crucial role in…

  • Thailand NewsSaudi Arabia will have flights to Thailand available starting February 28

    Saudi Arabia will have flights to Thailand available starting February 28

    After Thailand and Saudi Arabia patched things up last month after decades of cold relations, flights from Saudi Arabia to Thailand will be available starting on February 28. Thai International Airways also plans to have direct flights between Bangkok and Riyadh in May. Thai tourism authorities have set a lofty goal of 20 billion baht from an expected 200,000 Saudi…

  • Thailand NewsForeign ministry confirms Saudi leader will visit Thailand, most likely this year

    Foreign ministry confirms Saudi leader will visit Thailand, most likely this year

    The controversial Saudi leader, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, is likely to visit Thailand at some stage this year. Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai says the visit will happen once a roadmap for restoring bilateral ties has been agreed. The roadmap will focus on cooperation in areas such as energy and labour, according to the minister. After decades of…

  • Pattaya NewsPattaya travel roadshow to visit Saudi Arabia with PM

    Pattaya travel roadshow to visit Saudi Arabia with PM

    PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed tourism businesses in Pattaya to prepare a travel roadshow for upcoming ministerial visits to Saudi Arabia in order to promote tourism and develop relations between the two nations. Following the directive, governor Yuthasak Supasorn of The Tourism Authority Thailand met with the local entrepreneurs group “One Voice” to reveal the PM’s trip to Saudi Arabia…

  • Thailand NewsThailand and Saudi Arabia patch things up 33 years after Blue Diamond Affair

    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…

  • Thailand NewsPrayut’s Saudi Arabia trip a ‘breakthrough’ after 30 years of tense relations

    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 NewsThai PM to visit Saudi Arabia as guest of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman

    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 News25 Thais returning from Mecca pilgrimage infected with Omicron variant

    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 NewsFBI releases 9/11 file documenting probe into Saudi Arabia’s possible role

    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 News1 new Covid-19 death, 7 new cases in quarantine

    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 NewsWorld Covid-19 cases accelerate as the toll surpasses 9 million infections

    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 NewsSaudi Arabia holds limited Hajj due to Covid-19

    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 News5 Thai students test positive for Covid-19 after returning from Saudi Arabia

    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 NewsKorean virus cases skyrocket; Japanese passenger turns positive

    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 NewsBTS first foreign artists to perform solo concert in Saudi Arabia tonight

    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,…

  • OpinionOpinion: Sovereignty, rights ignored in airport debacle – The Nation

    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 NewsUPDATE: Standoff at Suvarnabhumi – Thai Immigration reverse decision

    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…