RIYADH, 20 April 2004 — Thailand’s Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai will pay a one-day visit to Saudi Arabia today in a renewed effort to improve relations with Saudi Arabia. Relations were soured more than 14 years ago by the murder of three Saudi diplomats, which also led to the downgrading of diplomatic relations between Riyadh and Bangkok.

“A six-member delegation comprising senior Thai officials has already arrived here to join Foreign Minister Surakiart in the bilateral talks,” said Mohammed Lutfi, a spokesman of the Thai Embassy. Surakiart will become the first Thai minister to pay an official visit to Saudi Arabia since the 1990 murders.

Relations between the Kingdom and Thailand worsened when in the same year a Thai worker in Saudi Arabia stole jewels worth millions of dollars and sent them home in an apple crate.

Thai police are suspected to be behind the disappearance, also in 1990, of Saudi businessman Mohammad Al-Ruwaili in Thailand.

The Thai delegation is likely to present a progress report of the murder cases to the Saudi officials during the trip, according to local diplomats. The cases led to a ban on Thai laborers working in Saudi Arabia.

Surakiart will be joined in talks by the secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, Lt. Gen. Chidchai Vanasatidya. Chidchai was a member of a team appointed by Justice Minister Pongthep Thepkanchana to reopen investigations into the Saudi cases.

The Thai foreign minister’s trip coincides with the visit of his predecessor Dr. Surin Pitsuwar, who has been invited to Riyadh to participate in an international conference on terrorism and Islam beginning today.

Surakiart plans to stop off in Saudi Arabia on his way back to Thailand from the Asia-Europe Foreign Ministers meeting (Asem) in Straffan, Ireland, which ended on Sunday.

Surakiart is to highlight Thailand’s sincerity in resolving all existing problems with Saudi Arabia and to boost commercial relations. Current bilateral trade stands at $2.12 billion annually.

The demand for gas and energy in the Asia-Pacific region including Thailand and the exploration of energy production affords increasing opportunities for Saudi Arabia and GCC countries. Thailand already signed a bilateral agreement with the Kingdom early this year within the framework of Saudi accession to WTO.