Saudi woman who fled to Bangkok now 'under UNHCR care'

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An 18-year-old Saudi woman who barricaded herself inside a hotel room at Bangkok Airport over the weekend, saying she would be killed if she was sent back to her family, has been placed under the care of the UN refugee agency UNHCR, officials said Monday.

Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun arrived on Sunday from Kuwait, saying she had run away from her family and planned to seek asylum in Australia.

Held after leaving her plane in Bangkok however and told she would be sent back to Kuwait, the young woman took to Twitter to plead for help and posted a video of herself barricading her hotel room door with furniture in a bid to stop her deportation from Thailand.

She said Saudi and Kuwaiti officials had also taken her passport from her when she landed.

Following a global media frenzy, Thai immigration chief Surachate Hakparn said Monday that Qunun would not be expelled.

"We will… provide her with safe shelter under the care of the UNHCR," he told reporters.

Travelers arrive at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, January 7, 2019. /VCG Photo

UNHCR's spokesman in Geneva Babar Baloch confirmed that Qunun had "left the airport to a safe place in the city" and said agency officials would interview her once she had had some rest.

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.

The case has drawn global attention to Saudi Arabia's strict social rules, including a requirement that women have the permission of a male "guardian" to travel, which rights groups say can trap women and girls as prisoners of abusive families.

If sent back, Qunun told AFP news agency that she would likely be imprisoned and was "sure 100 percent" her family would kill her.

She also told Reuters she suffered "physical, emotional and verbal abuse" and that her family was powerful in Saudi society.

Royal Thai police stand guard outside the Saudi embassy in Bangkok, January 8, 2019. /VCG Photo

Surachate said Thai authorities had been contacted by the Saudis before deciding to deny Qunun entry to the country.

"The Saudi Arabia embassy contacted the immigration police ... and said that the girl had run away from her parents and they fear for her safety," he said.

"We acknowledged this and checked her paperwork. She had a passport but no return ticket, no travel plan, and no destination or hotel reservation in Thailand ... so per airport security procedures, immigration denied her entry."

Speaking to Saudi-owned TV channel Khalijia, the charge d'affaires of the Saudi embassy in Bangkok said Qunun's father – a senior regional government official – had contacted the diplomatic mission for "help" bringing her back.

But he denied that her passport had been seized and that embassy officials were present inside the airport.

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".

‍(Top picture: Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun (C) is escorted by a Thai immigration officer (R) and UNHCR officials at Suvarnabhumi international airport in Bangkok, Thailand, January 7, 2018. /Thai Immigration Bureau handout via VCG)

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters