Editing Foreign relations of Bahrain (section)

==Relations with Thailand and the Hakeem al-Araibi incident==

{{main|Hakeem al-Araibi}}
Bahrain's foreign relations were put under strain and its [[Human rights in Bahrain|human rights record]] under the spotlight when in November 2018 Bahraini footballer [[Hakeem al-Araibi]], who had been sentenced [[Trial in absentia|in absentia]] by Bahrain to 10 years in prison for vandalising a police station in 2013, was arrested upon arrival in [[Thailand]] with his wife for their honeymoon. The footballer, who had been granted [[refugee|refugee status]] by [[Australia]] in 2014, urged the Thailand authorities not to deport him to Bahrain as he had been previously tortured in Bahrain for his political views.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47113179?intlink_from_url=https://www.bbc.com/news/topics/c302m85q5rjt/human-rights&link_location=live-reporting-story|title=Bahraini footballer pleads in court against deportation|access-date=4 February 2019|work=BBC News}}</ref>

He was kept in detention in Thailand while the Australian government and many international organisations and individuals lobbied for his release, until it was announced on 11 February 2019 by the Thai Office of the Attorney-General (OAG)<ref>{{cite news|work=BBC News|date=11 February 2019|access-date=11 February 2019|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-47196696|title=Hakeem al-Araibi: Thailand frees refugee footballer}}</ref> that the extradition case against al-Araibi had been dropped by the criminal court at Bahrain's request. No reason was given by the foreign ministry, but the decision was made under Section 21 of the Prosecution Act, which allows for cases to be dropped if not in the public interest, and he would be released and allowed to return to Australia as soon as possible.<ref>{{cite news|publisher=SBS News|date=11 February 2019|access-date=11 February 2019|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/we-won-hakeem-al-araibi-set-to-walk-free-after-thai-court-drops-extradition-order|title='We won': Hakeem Al-Araibi set to walk free after Thai court drops extradition order}}</ref>

During the media frenzy surrounding the case, the strong links between Bahrain and Thailand were alluded to in the press. 
Academics and human rights groups raised the issue of the very close ties between the two countries, both financially and between the two royal families.<ref name=SBSties>{{cite news|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/questions-raised-over-thailand-and-bahrain-s-close-ties-as-hakeem-al-araibi-s-detention-continues|first=Maani|last=Truu|title=Questions raised over Thailand and Bahrain's 'close ties' as Hakeem Al-Araibi's detention continues|date=9 February 2019|archive-date=10 February 2019|publisher=SBS News|access-date=10 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190210023639/https://www.sbs.com.au/news/questions-raised-over-thailand-and-bahrain-s-close-ties-as-hakeem-al-araibi-s-detention-continues}}</ref> According to Dr Aim Sinpeng, an expert in [[Southeast Asia|South-East Asian]] politics at the [[University of Sydney]], the Thai and Bahraini royal families have always had a close relationship and the Bahraini royal family visits Thailand every year. Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs [[Surapong Tovichakchaikul]] said in 2012 that the relationship between Thailand and Bahrain “was very close and strong” and also disclosed that the Bahrain Prime Minister was a “close personal friend” of former Thai prime minister [[Thaksin Shinawatra]] and had “donated roughly $2 million of his own money” to Thailand for flood relief.<ref name=SBSties/>

The latest new business venture between the two countries is a new  6,700 sq. m. Thai shopping centre in Manama, set to launch in the first half of 2019 and described as an opportunity for Thai small and medium-sized enterprises to reach a huge potential market of [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi]] shoppers,<ref name=SBSties/> said to be the biggest economic centre in Bahrain, with import and exports between the two countries expected to be worth around US$400m annually.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ftbl.com.au/news/exclusive-corruption-press-threats-and-400-million-standing-between-hakeem-and-freedom-518948/page0|date=7 February 2019|title=EXCLUSIVE: Corruption, press-threats and $400 million standing between Hakeem and freedom|first=Con|last=Stamocostas |access-date=10 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190210024522/https://www.ftbl.com.au/news/exclusive-corruption-press-threats-and-400-million-standing-between-hakeem-and-freedom-518948/page0|archive-date=10 February 2019|website=FTBL}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thaimartbahrain.com/|website=Thaimart Bahrain|access-date=10 February 2019|archive-date=10 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190210024857/http://www.thaimartbahrain.com/|title=GCC, NEW High Potential Market}}</ref>