In an accelerating development of the case of the young Saudi woman who fled her family to Thailand, the Canadian prime minister said his country had granted the right to asylum. "We agreed to the request of the United Nations," he said. The girl had refused to meet her father in Thailand.
Saudi Arabia's Rahaf Al-Qunun, who fled her family, left Bangkok on Friday (January 11, 2019) for Canada, after she was mobilized on Twitter and deported, in a sudden development following strong hints from officials that she would travel to Australia.
An official at Bangkok airport told Reuters the young Saudi woman left Thailand Friday evening for a trip to South Korea. He added that the Korean Air plane took the 18-year-old girl Rahaf Mohammed to Seoul just before midnight (local time). He is scheduled to board a plane from Anchion Airport in Seoul heading to Canada.
We are delighted to do so because Canada is a country that recognizes the importance of defending the rights of the individual and women around the world, "Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters after Thai authorities announced that the young woman had left for Canada. "I can confirm that we agreed to the request of the United Nations," he said.
Rahaf al-Qunun's escape from the kingdom sparked the interest of human rights groups, which saw it as a challenge to the men's "guardianship" of women. Thai authorities initially threatened to deport her after she arrived in Bangkok from Kuwait. The law states that she was subjected to physical and psychological violence from her family, which denied this.
Human rights groups say the young woman no longer embraces Islam, putting her at risk in Saudi Arabia. Her father went to Thailand and denied ill-treatment but refused to meet him. Within a week, Rahaf had more than 100,000 followers on Twitter, helping her to avoid the fate of countless asylum seekers who are either sent home or end up in detention centers in Bangkok. Thailand is not a signatory to the Refugee Convention, which means that a third country must receive them.
Although her case has moved very quickly, the recent developments that have led to her departure to Canada remain unclear. There were strong hints that Australia would give it asylum after the United Nations urged it.
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