The first batch of pilgrims is due to arrive on Oct. 8. “This is good news. We have been working toward this (development) all through,” said an official of the Thai diplomatic mission on Wednesday.

“We are all gearing up to receive the first batch, which will be followed by other batches,” he said. The official hoped that this development would pave the way for restoring normalcy in the bilateral ties.

What has contributed to easing the bilateral tension is Lt. Gen. Somkid Boonthanom’s refusal to accept a promotion for the post of assistant national police chief. He is reported to have declined the offer due to intense lobbying by Saudi diplomats who demanded Thailand find those responsible for the murder of at least three Saudis and a jewelry theft. It is believed that Thai pilgrims used to come for Haj during the troubled period via other countries.

Ties between the two countries were downgraded two decades ago over the theft of 90 kg of jewels worth $20 million by a Thai janitor from a palace in Riyadh. Some of the gems, including a rare blue diamond, have yet to be recovered.

The theft led to the assassination of three Saudi diplomatic staff in Bangkok in a single night, the kidnap and murder of a Thai jeweler’s wife and child, and the disappearance of businessman Mohammad Al-Ruwaili, who witnessed one of the shootings.

The report from Bangkok quoting the minister said while the visas for the first batch of pilgrims was ready as the request was submitted last week, those for the second batch could not be processed due to a shortage of staff at the embassy.

When embassy staff who are currently on leave return to work, they will inform the department of religious affairs, which is in charge of submitting the visa requests for Thai pilgrims. The minister asked the embassy to inform the department immediately when it is able to process more visas.

Thailand has long sought to normalize ties with the Kingdom after a dispute that has cost billions of dollars in two-way trade and tourism, and denied employment opportunities in Saudi Arabia to hundreds of thousands of Thai migrant workers. But questions remain about the whereabouts of the famous blue diamond and why successive Thai governments and police have been unable to trace it, or bring the killers of the three Saudi embassy staff to justice.

In 1994, then Saudi Charge d’Affaires Mohammed Said Khoja said that the murdered Saudis were “silenced” and he believed the blue diamond would be returned if the person who possessed it was assured of no humiliation.

(With input from agencies)