Bangkok History Highlight: The Blue Diamond Affair [Season 3, Episode 35]

Bangkok History Highlight: The Blue Diamond Affair [Season 3, Episode 35]

Continuing our series on interesting episodes in Thai history, this episode focuses on the infamous Blue Diamond Affair, It all started when a Thai gardener named Kriangkrai Techamon, who was working in Saudi Arabia, decided to make off with $20 million worth of gems and jewelry belonging to a Saudi royal. Although the thief was caught shortly after his return to Thailand, he had already sold much of the loot, including the famed 50 karat 'Blue Diamond.' No problem - the gems were returned to Saudi Arabia and an apology issued. Case closed!

But! Soon after the treasure was returned, Saudi authorities claimed that over half of the returned gems were fake, including the Blue Diamond. The Saudi authorities sent a special team of investigators to Bangkok to investigate...and what followed was a tale of murder, kidnapping, and black magic, with the ultimate result being a near-total diplomatic breakdown between the two countries that continues to this day. It's a plot almost too twisty for Hollywood, but listen in for details on one of the strangest episodes in Thai history.

As always, the podcast will continue to be 100% funded by listeners just like you who get some special swag from us. And we'll keep our Facebook, Twitter, and LINE accounts active so you can send us comments, questions, or whatever you want to share.

Episoder(562)

Hot Thai Kitchen's Pailin Talks About Thai Food, Western Tastes & Her New Cookbook [S6.E34]

Hot Thai Kitchen's Pailin Talks About Thai Food, Western Tastes & Her New Cookbook [S6.E34]

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4 Apr 202350min

Thai Politics: Where We Are, Why We're Here, and What's Coming Next [S6.E33]

Thai Politics: Where We Are, Why We're Here, and What's Coming Next [S6.E33]

Greg begins by explaining the momentous time we live in: soon there will be a general election in the Land of Smiles. He turns to Ed, allegedly a professor of political science, to give a primer (long...

28 Mar 202342min

Authors Paul & Yuangrat Wedel Discuss the History of Radicalism in Thailand - Part 2 [S6.E32]

Authors Paul & Yuangrat Wedel Discuss the History of Radicalism in Thailand - Part 2 [S6.E32]

This is the second part of a two part interview with Paul and Yuangrat Wedel, longtime scholars and writers on Thai history and society. The first part of the interview focused on the roots of radical...

21 Mar 20231h

Authors Paul & Yuangrat Wedel Discuss the History of Radicalism in Thailand - Part 1 [S6.E31]

Authors Paul & Yuangrat Wedel Discuss the History of Radicalism in Thailand - Part 1 [S6.E31]

Greg and Ed interview a fascinating and very erudite couple, Paul and Yuangrat Wedel. Paul, a native of New Jersey, met Yuangrat, a native of Nakhon Si Thammarat, in Bangkok in the late 1970s and thro...

14 Mar 202354min

Bangkok vs the World: Reading the Data to See How We Stack Up [S6.E30]

Bangkok vs the World: Reading the Data to See How We Stack Up [S6.E30]

Greg and Ed look at a few recent world rankings to see where Thailand fits into a world with nearly two hundred different countries. First, Greg brings up the 'Global Power City Index,' a comprehensiv...

7 Mar 202336min

Richard Barrow on Twitter Trolls, Upset Officials & Train Guides [S6.E29]

Richard Barrow on Twitter Trolls, Upset Officials & Train Guides [S6.E29]

This is Part 2 of our epic interview with Richard Barrow, giant among expats in Thailand. In the second half of the discussion, Richard continues with explaining his slow rise as a 'citizen journalist...

28 Feb 202359min

Richard Barrow on Life in Samut Prakan and Finding a Niche Online [S6.E28]

Richard Barrow on Life in Samut Prakan and Finding a Niche Online [S6.E28]

Greg and Ed meet the icon Richard Barrow in Samut Prakan and interview him about his unusual life in Thailand. Richard begins by explaining his life roaming Asia as a young man on his way to Australia...

21 Feb 20231h 3min

What Does ChatGPT's Artificial Intelligence Make of Bangkok? [S6.E27]

What Does ChatGPT's Artificial Intelligence Make of Bangkok? [S6.E27]

Unless you've been living under a rock lately, you've probably heard of ChatGPT, a brand new AI writing tool that produces some shockingly advanced stuff. It's only a few months old but it's already t...

14 Feb 202336min

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