Thai gardener behind $20 mn Saudi gem heist becomes monk

Published March 17, 2016
Kriangkrai Techamong stole precious gems from the palace of a Saudi prince where he worked in 1989.─Reuters/File
Kriangkrai Techamong stole precious gems from the palace of a Saudi prince where he worked in 1989.─Reuters/File

A Thai gardener behind a $20 million gem heist from a Saudi palace that has long soured relations between the two countries became a monk Thursday in hope of redeeming his karma.

Kriangkrai Techamong stole the precious gems from the palace of a Saudi prince where he worked in 1989, triggering a feud between Thailand and Saudi Arabia dubbed the "Blue Diamond Affair" that has yet to be resolved.

Thai police later returned some of the jewels but Saudi officials claimed most were counterfeits while the whereabouts of the most precious gem -- a rare 50-carat blue diamond -- remains unknown.

On Thursday Kriangkrai told local media his life has been haunted by the theft that unleashed an "avalanche" of suffering on his family.

"I am confident that all my misfortunes are the result of a curse from the (blue) Saudi diamond I stole, so I've decided to enter the monkhood for the rest of my life to redeem my bad karma," he told Thai Rath newspaper.

Local TV channels showed the middle-aged man receive alms from temple goers as he marched in an ordination ceremony with a shaved head and white robes in northern Lampang province.

Channel 7 reported that he had been blessed with a new monk name that translates to "He Who Has Diamond Knowledge".

Kriangkrai was jailed for five years soon after the theft, but managed to sell most of the gems before his arrest.

Saudi Arabia has long accused Thai police of bungling its investigation, with widespread allegations at the time that the stolen items were snapped up by senior officers.

Riyadh sent a businessman to conduct his own investigation, but he disappeared in Bangkok days after three Saudi diplomats were shot dead, execution style, in the city.

In 2014 a case was dropped against five men, including a senior Thai policeman, for alleged involvement in the businessman's murder over lack of evidence. The decision came after a last-minute change in judge.

Saudi Arabia has not sent an ambassador to Thailand for decades and restricts travel between the two countries because of the unresolved theft and murders.

Opinion

A state of chaos

A state of chaos

The establishment’s increasingly intrusive role has further diminished the credibility of the political dispensation.

Editorial

Bulldozed bill
Updated 22 May, 2024

Bulldozed bill

Where once the party was championing the people and their voices, it is now devising new means to silence them.
Out of the abyss
22 May, 2024

Out of the abyss

ENFORCED disappearances remain a persistent blight on fundamental human rights in the country. Recent exchanges...
Holding Israel accountable
22 May, 2024

Holding Israel accountable

ALTHOUGH the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor wants arrest warrants to be issued for Israel’s prime...
Iranian tragedy
Updated 21 May, 2024

Iranian tragedy

Due to Iran’s regional and geopolitical influence, the world will be watching the power transition carefully.
Circular debt woes
21 May, 2024

Circular debt woes

THE alleged corruption and ineptitude of the country’s power bureaucracy is proving very costly. New official data...
Reproductive health
21 May, 2024

Reproductive health

IT is naïve to imagine that reproductive healthcare counts in Pakistan, where women from low-income groups and ...