BANGKOK: The Saudi woman who made a desperate plea for asylum after landing at Bangkok airport has been placed “under the care” of the United Nations refugee agency, a Thai official said late Monday.
Rahaf Mohammed Motlaq al-Qunun told AFP she ran away from her family while travelling in Kuwait because they subjected her to physical and psychological abuse.
The 18-year-old said she had planned to seek asylum in Australia and feared she would be killed if repatriated by Thai immigration officials who stopped her during transit on Sunday.
The incident comes as Saudi Arabia faces intense scrutiny over the shocking murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year, which has renewed criticism of the kingdom’s rights record.
Thai immigration chief Surachate Hakparn had said Sunday that Qunun was denied entry because of her lack of documents.
But he made an abrupt about-face the next day, following a global media frenzy as the young woman pleaded on Twitter for different countries to help her.
After announcing that Thailand “will not force her” to leave, Surachate told reporters late Monday that Qunun would be “allowed to stay” after a meeting with officials from the UN refugee agency UNHCR.
UNHCR staff have been given access to #RahafMohammedalQunun in Bangkok. Here is our statement. https://t.co/ALF69F4XaK
— Filippo Grandi (@RefugeesChief) January 7, 2019
“She is under the care of the UNHCR now but we also sent Thai security to help take care (of her),” Surachate told reporters at Suvarnabhumi airport.
He said Qunun had told UNHCR officials she “wants to stay in Thailand for a while while seeking asylum to a third country”.
The agency “will take five days to consider her status” and another five days to arrange for travel, Surachate said, adding that he would meet with Saudi diplomats on Tuesday to explain Thailand’s decision.
Following the announcement, a relieved Qunun tweeted that she felt safe “under UNHCR protection with the agreement of Thailand authorities”, adding that her passport had been returned to her after being taken away on Sunday.
Surachate had told reporters earlier Monday Qunun was stopped by immigration because Saudi officials had contacted them to say she had fled her family.
“Thailand is a land of smiles. We will not send anyone to die,” he said.
“We will take care of her as best as we can.”
HRW’s Robertson said Qunun “faces grave harm if she is forced back to Saudi Arabia”.
“Given Saudi Arabia’s long track record of looking the other way in so-called honour violence incidents, her worry that she could be killed if returned cannot be ignored,” he said.
An Australian government spokesman said the claims made by Qunun “that she may be harmed if returned to Saudi Arabia are deeply concerning” and they are monitoring the case “closely”.
Australian embassy representatives in Bangkok have reached out to Thai authorities and the UNHCR to “seek assurances” that she will be able to access the “refugee status determination process”.
The UNHCR said that according to the principle of non-refoulement, asylum seekers cannot be returned to their country of origin if their life is under threat.
