Picture: Thai Rath

 

Bangkok's governor has dressed up as an Arab.

 

Chadchart Sittipunt was at an exhibition entitled "Building Bridges between Thailand and Saudi Arabia".

 

Thai Rath said he was determined to make the Thai capital welcoming for people of all nations and ethnic diversities. 

 

The title came with English in brackets of:

 

Efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in serving Muslim Brothers. 

 

The event was organised by the Saudi Embassy and Chadchart was met by H.E. Mr Essam Saleh H. Algetale representing the embassy. 

 

The event has run in Suan Luang district (Ramkhamhaeng Soi 2) at the Foundation for Islamic Center of Thailand since August 12th and closes today.  

 

ASEAN NOW notes that diplomatic relations between Thailand and Saudi Arabia have entered a new era since the hatchet was finally buried over an infamous saga called the Blue Diamond Affair.

 

Unresolved crimes embittered relations that were triggered by the 1989 theft of gems belonging to the House of Saud by a Thai employee. 

 

The thief was jailed for seven years serving just three in Thailand and when stolen items from the 91 kg haul of jewelry were returned the Blue Diamond was missing and about half of the gems were fake.

 

Rumors were rife that Thai police and VIPs took the jewels for themselves. 

 

Many murders of Saudis dogged the case but most were unsolved. A lieutenant general in the RTP who investigated the case was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of the wife and son of a gems dealer though the sentence was later commuted to 50 years in prison. 

 

Six other policemen were convicted of involvement in various murders. 

 

On January 26th of this year full diplomatic relations were finally restored.

 

Since then there have been several high level meetings with many centering on the start of Thai workers once again being welcomed back to employment in Saudi Arabia. 

 

Plus Saudis being encouraged to holiday in Thailand and Thais being allowed on the hajj pilgrimage. 

Suspened PM Prayuth Chan-ocha has visited Riyadh.

 

The Bangkok governor's garb can be seen as another step in the rapprochement between the two countries. 

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-08-31

 

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This guy seems to want to be everyones friend.

Has he achieved anything positive yet or is it simple political jockeying?

 

10 minutes ago, webfact said:

Building Bridges between Thailand and Saudi Arabia

He should come down to Pattaya and hang out with the Saudis, racing around on their motorbikes, annoying the locals. 

 

 

The Thai version of 'blackface'.

Pathetic..................

Damn I overslept! It's Halloween already!

The Governor must now feel like a real Lady Boy with that skirt on.

It does seem like cultural appropriation. Actually  he has chosen the highest  form of ceremonial  robes which are definitely  inappropriate.

6 hours ago, Lucky Bones said:

This guy seems to want to be everyones friend.

Has he achieved anything positive yet or is it simple political jockeying?

 

He has achieved more in the months since his election by the people of Bangkok than his government appointed predecessor ever managed to do in 6 years.

A post with derogatory and offensive comments toward Thais has been reported and removed as well as a reply. 

A bit off the topic but- I remember the days when the male Saudi's used to come en masse across the causeway to Bahrain at the "weekend" for the booze and the Russian girls.

Lovely people.

1 hour ago, billd766 said:

He has achieved more in the months since his election by the people of Bangkok than his government appointed predecessor ever managed to do in 6 years.

Fair enough. I'm not Bkk based and his face/name seems to be quite prominent so I was curious.

No disrespect intended and good luck to him.????????

So he’s turning a blind eye to the country’s human rights abuses, but will happily welcome their money. 

10 hours ago, Lucky Bones said:

This guy seems to want to be everyones friend.

Has he achieved anything positive yet or is it simple political jockeying?

 

Camel jockeying.....

19 hours ago, webfact said:

Bangkok's governor has dressed up as an Arab

He has the tan for it and had me fooled.

19 hours ago, Lucky Bones said:

This guy seems to want to be everyones friend.

Has he achieved anything positive yet or is it simple political jockeying?

 

He's achieved more in the few months he's been in office than others have done in years.

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

He's achieved more in the few months he's been in office than others have done in years.

Cool. See my earlier response to billd766.????????

What's that? Advertising for the new thai style comedy Flick, desert thunder 2? Main character Somchai Sittipunt

inbound5268153895413845919.tmp

16 hours ago, Thailand said:

A bit off the topic but- I remember the days when the male Saudi's used to come en masse across the causeway to Bahrain at the "weekend" for the booze and the Russian girls.

Lovely people.

Well it's still happens. And all the expats too travel over every weekend. And actually Saudi women would come across to enjoy their  freedoms. Bahrain is a great  country. You can live a good  live there.  The Seashell was a fantastic bordello - really wild and Diggers bar was a great  bar with 50 or more Thai girls. Itnreally rocked. No music after 1982. No rap no hip hop. The Ethiopian Jungle Bars were exotic too. In many ways it was better than Thailand.  Bars and clubs  stayed open late. In Bangkok places closed earlier  than Bahrain.  I have very fond memories  of Bahrain...Oh and the Tylos Hotel-  50 girls! Giving  room service.

15 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

So he’s turning a blind eye to the country’s human rights abuses, but will happily welcome their money. 

It may have escaped your notice, but he does not control Immigration who are the people who allow or reject entry to Thailand. He also does not control the government (more's the pity) who make the rules and requirements, allowing or not allowing, the people of whatever country who wish to visit Thailand.

 

Are you turning a blind eye to Thailand's civil and human rights abuses?

 

His job is to do the best that he can for Bangkok. Whether he likes or agrees with it or not doesn't matter.

20 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

So he’s turning a blind eye to the country’s human rights abuses, but will happily welcome their money. 

Just as the rest of the world does, your own country included.  Why should Thailand have to virtue signal?

Some off topic posts and replies have been removed.

 

A post with a trolling video has been removed.

 

A post with trolling comments regarding a previously removed post has been removed.

7 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Well it's still happens. And all the expats too travel over every weekend. And actually Saudi women would come across to enjoy their  freedoms. Bahrain is a great  country. You can live a good  live there.  The Seashell was a fantastic bordello - really wild and Diggers bar was a great  bar with 50 or more Thai girls. Itnreally rocked. No music after 1982. No rap no hip hop. The Ethiopian Jungle Bars were exotic too. In many ways it was better than Thailand.  Bars and clubs  stayed open late. In Bangkok places closed earlier  than Bahrain.  I have very fond memories  of Bahrain...Oh and the Tylos Hotel-  50 girls! Giving  room service.

Don't remember any of that, must have been busy working or something!

15 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Just as the rest of the world does, your own country included.  Why should Thailand have to virtue signal?

 Other countries do and they're criticised for it. Just as Thailand should be.

 

The point is that the new Bangkok governor was heralded as some kind of saviour. He's no different from the rest of them with their snouts in the trough.