Dec 29 holds key to reviving bilateral relations

As the strained Thai-Saudi relations are reaching another critical juncture, current chief envoy Nabil H Ashri is quietly and cautiously optimistic.

His mind is already focused on this coming Tuesday, when Thai prosecutors are scheduled to decide whether to take up the case against five serving and former Thai policemen implicated in the disappearance of a Saudi Arabian businessman in 1990.

In an exclusive interview with The Nation yesterday, the chargé d'affaires was hoping for the best - although he can be forgiven for fearing the worst.

"The two countries have been missing each other," he said. "What happens on December 29 hopefully can be a big step forward [in normalisation efforts]."

His embassy on Thursday issued a statement expressing great optimism and complimenting the Abhisit Vejjajiva government for its efforts to solve the cases that have left bilateral ties at almost a standstill for nearly two decades.

"The prime minister's directives to the respective agencies to speed up investigations in the pending cases further demonstrate the Thai government's sincere desire to restore the friendly and warm relations between the two kingdoms and carry out justice," the statement said.

The message in itself marked a positive, diplomatic step unseen for a long time.

The cases brought Thai labour exports to the Middle Eastern country to a sudden stop, drained Saudi investment from Thailand and disrupted the lucrative cash flow brought in by Saudi tourists. The Saudis, meanwhile, have also felt a great impact from the strained relations and are eager to see things improved, said the chargé d'affaires.

He said that although the December 29 decision involved only the case of missing businessman Mohammad al-Ruwaili, Saudi Arabia would certainly take a "positive" development as a big breakthrough.

Although it had been understood that Saudi Arabia placed equal importance on the three major cases, the envoy indicated that Thailand could expect a tangible diplomatic response from his country to a significant development in the al-Ruwaili affair.

The al-Ruwaili case's statute of limitations ends early next year (20 years after the crime), making the prosecutors' decision next week all the more crucial.

A Department of Special Investigation (DSI) source confirmed that the Saudi authorities, who met a Thai investigation team in Riyadh in October, seemed to feel "strongly" about the al-Ruwaili case as it was a crime committed against their citizen allegedly by Thai police.

Among the five police suspects facing charges is Provincial Police Region 5 commissioner Pol Lt-General Somkid Boonthanom, who reported to the DSI recently to be officially charged.

The other two cases are the infamous Saudi jewellery embezzlement scandal and the killing of three Saudi diplomats in Bangkok, who were murdered in 1990 just before al-Ruwaili went missing.

Ashri has been seeking cooperation from every Thai prime minister, foreign minister and justice minister since coming to Thailand more than three years ago. Unlike outspoken and aggressive Khoja, he has been pursuing polite but firm diplomacy behind the scenes.

He praised the Abhisit administration for giving priority to the bilateral problems, although he expressed sympathy for Abhisit's predecessors who were preoccupied with local political conflicts.

"We have seen the most positive progress in this government, although we will have to wait and see what happens four days from now," he said.

The embassy's statement said he had been "personally assured that solving the cases is on the highest priority list of the current administration". It underlined the Saudi government's wish to see the Thai government go all the way, no matter how complicated and sensitive the cases are in the domestic context.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reiterates that the two kingdoms share common goals, values and views on regional and international issues, and looks forward to improving and solidifying diplomatic, trade and cooperation relations with the Kingdom of Thailand. A number of international and regional forums, such as the Asia Cooperation Dialogue and Asia Middle East Dialogue, and finally the recently formalised GCC-Asean Dialogue, have increased the much-needed interaction between Saudi and Thai officials.

"Although bilateral trade has improved in recent years, the pending Saudi cases have caused great damage and loss to bilateral trade and investment. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia remains as one of the world's top 10 most competitive and stable economies, and top 20 destinations for investment," the statement said.

In the Thai-Saudi diplomatic context, it was almost a love letter. The envoy can only hope that the next statement in the wake of the prosecutors' decision can maintain the tone. It is only four days away, but it will be a very long and anxious wait.