Thai immigration warn Kuwait Airways over Saudi teen

[snoop1130]

Thai immigration warn Kuwait Airways over Saudi teen 

By Suriya Patatayo 
The Nation

 

 

Thai immigration police bureau will issue a warning to Kuwait Airways for allowing Saudi teen Rahaf Mohammed Al-Qunun to board its flight to Bangkok although she had insufficient travel documents.

Pol Lt General Surachate Hakparn said on Wednesday that he planned to have immigration laws that have been used for more than 40 years reviewed.

The laws should increase the penalty for airlines whose staff did not check required documents including a return ticket for a passenger.

 

The bureau chief is referring to the case of Al-Qunun, 18, who flew with Kuwait Airways to Bangkok on January 5.

 

She was detained at Suvarnabhumi Airport reportedly because her father alerted the Saudi embassy in Bangkok that she fled her family during a trip in Kuwait.

 

During her detention, she tweeted that she wanted to travel to Australia to seek asylum as she was abused by her family and was being forced to marry.

 

However, Thai immigration police at the airport revealed that she had no air ticket to Australia.

 

In case she wished to apply for a visa on arrival to enter Thailand, al-Qunun should prove she had an onward flight, the general said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30361927

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-1-9

[richard_smith237]

Thai Immigration scrambling to save face ????

 

It's been reported elsewhere that the young lady had a Visa and an Onward Ticket to Australia, that she was 'in Transit' in Bangkok Airport until she had her passport confiscated by some 'Saudi officials' air-side of Thai immigration. 

 

This is as I understand the facts.... there has be much misinformation on this matter, however... Is what I've written above as others understand the situation?

 

Additionally KSA nationals are eligible for Visa on Arrival in Thailand - so what is the warning for? (read my first line) No one made any mistake in permitting a KSA national to travel to Thailand. 

[from the home of CC]

The family would have had her on a short lease for her rebellious attitudes as it is, how would she of purchased a ticket to Australia/Thailand without them knowing. I agree the facts seem jumbled/poor journalism, like most viral stories out of Thailand.  

[Oziex1]

Backpedaling, scurrying for cover and looking for scapegoats, Thai officialdom when they **** up and everyone sees it. 

Where are your photos and 2am press conference now BJ? 

[richard_smith237]

7 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

The family would have had her on a short lease for her rebellious attitudes as it is, how would she of purchased a ticket to Australia/Thailand without them knowing. I agree the facts seem jumbled/poor journalism, like most viral stories out of Thailand.  

The onward ticket may not be relevant... She can enter Thailand on a Visa on Arrival....  So the complaint by Thai Immigration leveled at Kuwait Airlines doesn't make a whole lot of sense. 

 

That said - it has been reported else where that she had a Ticket to Australia... No one except Thai Immigration is sure if this is true or not... but their 'media handling' and 'fact polishing' make any statement they make self serving and questionable at best.

[owl sees all]

8 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

The family would have had her on a short lease for her rebellious attitudes as it is, how would she of purchased a ticket to Australia/Thailand without them knowing. I agree the facts seem jumbled/poor journalism, like most viral stories out of Thailand.  

Maybe the 'rules' in Kuwait are not quite so strict as in Saudi. She might have run off, got to the airport and booked a flight. Don't know about the Ozz ticket and visa. Perhaps she had a bit of help from friends. The whole thing is strange.

 

As long as she is safe, I don't really care about the other stuff (details).

[Crossy]

4 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

... but their 'media handling' and 'fact polishing' ...

And we all know you can't polish a .... (four letters, rhymes with bird).

[petermik]

7 hours ago, Crossy said:

And we all know you can't polish a .... (four letters, rhymes with bird).

got it.....curd

[jackdd]

30 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Additionally KSA nationals are eligible for Visa on Arrival in Thailand - so what is the warning for? (read my first line) No one made any mistake in permitting a KSA national to travel to Thailand.  

I assume the rules for a visa on arrival are similar to the rules of a visa exempt, and these include that the person needs to have a ticket out of Thailand within 30 (15 for VOA) days. The airlines are supposed to check this and deny boarding for persons who don't have this. So if she did not have ticket out of Thailand within 15 days (that's what Thailand says now) Kuwait Airways should have denied her boarding.

[Sheryl]

To think when I saw the headline, I actually thought Thailand was complaining over the fact that a Security officer from Kuwait airlines accosted this woman in the transit area of a Thai airport and seized her passport (apparently at Saudi request, handing it over to the Saudi Embassy), a clear violation of Thai soveregnity.

 

Silly, silly me.

[trainman34014]

Many moons ago i arrived in Thailand on a single ticket on at least three occasions and was never once asked if i had a return or onward ticket prior to boarding in Europe or on arrival here.   The rule may well be on the books but it doesn't mean it is always enforced or bothered with.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

12 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

To think when I saw the headline, I actually thought Thailand was complaining over the fact that a Security officer from Kuwait airlines accosted this woman in the transit area of a Thai airport and seized her passport (apparently at Saudi request, handing it over to the Saudi Embassy), a clear violation of Thai soveregnity.

 

Silly, silly me.

 

I had thought the same in reading just the headline...only to then discover BJ was on about something entirely different.

 

I guess he's more concerned about visitor onward tickets than he is about Thai sovereignty...

 

BTW, from what I've read in the news reports here previously, she supposedly did at least have a booking for her onward trip to Australia.

 

Meanwhile, I've not heard any legitimate reason why she wouldn't/shouldn't have been eligible for a Thai visa on arrival, if she had had any intention of exiting the airport.

 

Edited January 9, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[blankagain]

Foreign Minister Marise Payne will be in Thailand on Thursday as part of a pre-planned visit.

During her time in the country she will lobby for the release of a Melbourne-based refugee soccer player being held in the country.

Ms Alqunun's father, a Saudi government official, and brother landed in the capital last night and immediately asked to see Ms Alqunun.

The teenager is now in the care of the UNHCR, who will decide if the visit will be allowed.

[Bluespunk]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Thai immigration police bureau will issue a warning to Kuwait Airways for allowing Saudi teen Rahaf Mohammed Al-Qunun to board its flight to Bangkok although she had insufficient travel documents.

Pathetic.

[Sheryl]

They used similiarly strong armed tactics about a year ago in the Philippines in a case that tragically ended with the poor woman being dragged out of Manila airport, bound and duct-taped but still struggling with all her might, onto a flight to Riyadh. She was never seen alive again.  

 

(Dina Ali Lasloom)

[Letseng]

24 minutes ago, trainman34014 said:

Many moons ago i arrived in Thailand on a single ticket on at least three occasions and was never once asked if i had a return or onward ticket prior to boarding in Europe or on arrival here.   The rule may well be on the books but it doesn't mean it is always enforced or bothered with.

Nowadays, when you fly from Europe on a o/way ticket airline wants to see your visa. Otherwise, you don't board.

[nong38]

According to the BBC the UN have given her refugee status. What do we do now?

[Misterwhisper]

Luckily Kuwait AL flaunted whatever rigid regulation regarding onward tickets may or may not be in place, otherwise Rahaf would probably either be in intensive care or dead by now.

 

I agree that the situation is murky due to conflicting reporting whether the young woman actually had an onward ticket to Australia or not. What appears to be clear, though, is that she must've had an Australian tourist visa in her passport as she had claimed. Otherwise the Australian government would not have announced that the visa had been cancelled because - as a potential asylum seeker - she apparently needed a different class of visa.

 

Or maybe BJ was just upset that he was called out to the airport on a Monday evening at 5 p.m. and therefore missed his "therapeutic" appointment at the soapy massage parlor. Or was he perhaps annoyed that he had to work something for a change instead of only posing for PR shots as usual, taking all the credit for work actually accomplished by his subordinates? Who knows.

 

The only important thing that counts at the moment is that Rahaf is reasonably safe now from her father and from her government.

[jackdd]

1 minute ago, nong38 said:

According to the BBC the UN have given her refugee status. What do we do now?

Wait if she will arrive in Australia alive

 

23 minutes ago, Letseng said:

Nowadays, when you fly from Europe on a o/way ticket airline wants to see your visa. Otherwise, you don't board.

Over the years i flew to Thailand many times without visa or return flight (or return flight more than 30 days in the future), two times in 2017. They asked me one single time to see a flight out when checking in.

The rule is in place probably as long as the visa exempt exists, but at least from Germany it's only checked sporadically.

[NanLaew]

57 minutes ago, trainman34014 said:

Many moons ago i arrived in Thailand on a single ticket on at least three occasions and was never once asked if i had a return or onward ticket prior to boarding in Europe or on arrival here.   The rule may well be on the books but it doesn't mean it is always enforced or bothered with.

Well probably a lot of airplanes have been hijacked, blown up or flown into buildings since you were wandering in and out of Thailand untrammeled, no?

[NanLaew]

12 minutes ago, Misterwhisper said:

Or was he perhaps annoyed that he had to work something for a change instead of only posing for PR shots as usual, taking all the credit for work actually accomplished by his subordinates? Who knows.

You gotta admit though it was an awfully long backpedal he had to do.

[jonclark]

Having a return ticket in this case would actually made no difference as this young lady (and by extension any other refugee) had no intention of returning home.

 

A ticket reserves you a seat on the plane. Does not mean you are required to sit in it

 

 

Edited January 9, 2019 by jonclark

[NanLaew]

19 minutes ago, nong38 said:

According to the BBC the UN have given her refugee status. What do we do now?

Find another thread of interest and post there?

[janclaes47]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

It's been reported elsewhere that the young lady had a Visa and an Onward Ticket to Australia,

It has also beeen reported elsewhere that Australia would refuse her entrance with the visa she had

[KhunBENQ]

1) Saudia Arabia forbids it's citizen travel to Thailand. Shouldn't this be a concern for Kuwait Airlines too?

 

2) No way that you are allowed to enter from a country that is under visa-on-arrival rule without a return or onward ticket within 15 days. And it's not comparable to the 30 day exemption as no 30 day extension or the like is allowed. Absolutely off after 15 days.

 

3) Has anyone seen a photo of her visa for Australia?

 

4) Has anyone seen a photo of her onward ticket to Australia?

 

5) Why this "change of mind" trying to enter Thailand?

 

Kuwait Airways was close to being banned from Germany after they refused an Israeli to board a flight from Frankfurt to Bangkok with transit in Kuwait.

They don't allow Israeli passport holders to board.

THIS rule they knew.

A s... airline to the max.

Edited January 9, 2019 by KhunBENQ

[humbug]

2nd time on 2 different news stories today that the treasonous big yoke has mentioned ammending the immigration act. Not a good sign folks if these chinese state backed fools stay around in power changing hundreds of laws in their favour. Doesnt sound good at all

[KhunBENQ]

25 minutes ago, jackdd said:

The rule is in place probably as long as the visa exempt exists, but at least from Germany it's only checked sporadically.

True but different from visa-on-arrival where this is checked thoroughly before visa is issued.

As a German you can just walk to the immigration checkpoint without having a visa.

As a citizen from a VoA country you have to walk to the visa on arrival office where the documents are checked.

Edited January 9, 2019 by KhunBENQ

[poohy]

7 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

 

 

Kuwait Airways was close to being banned from Germany after they refused an Israeli to board a flight from Frankfurt to Bangkok with transit in Kuwait.

They don't allow Israeli passport holders to board.

THIS rule they knew.

A s... airline to the max.

I agree Kuwait Airlines is unpleasant i flew it a few time when i had no other choices  out of Pakistan.

 

But 

Israelis cannot do many things i doubt any Arab airline would carry them

They cannot enter some countries Eg Malaysia

 

 

[German farang]

1 hour ago, Oziex1 said:

Backpedaling, scurrying for cover and looking for scapegoats, Thai officialdom when they **** up and everyone sees it. 

Where are your photos and 2am press conference now BJ? 

There's one more question to answer: how the <deleted>*** was it possible for any Saudi-official to enter the transit area & confiscate her passport? Without any support of the thai immi??? 

That's -at least- strange!!!

And:  how could she checkin the hotel without an passport???

Who is here playing foul games with the public (& this poor girl)???

[KhunBENQ]

Just now, poohy said:

But 

Israelis cannot do many things i doubt any Arab airline would carry them

They cannot enter some countries Eg Malaysia

Yep and I don't want to defend the Israeli who was dumb enough to book Kuwait Airways just because they are cheapest of the pack from Frankfurt.