Originally posted to The Middle East Monitor website, 10 March 2022
Saudi Arabia has lifted the ban imposed on its citizens for travel to Thailand, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) has reported. Thai citizens will now also be allowed to enter Saudi Arabia three decades after diplomatic ties were severed. No further details were provided.
Saudi Arabian Airlines held a ceremony on 27 February to celebrate the first direct flights from Jeddah to Bangkok. The event was attended by the Thai Consul. The two kingdoms restored full diplomatic ties and a planned exchange of ambassadors in January.
Riyadh severed its relations with Bangkok following the 1989 theft of a diamond worth around $20 million by a Thai guard who was working in the palace of a Saudi prince.
