Australian foreign minister in Thailand as Saudi teen seeks asylum

[webfact]

Australian foreign minister in Thailand as Saudi teen seeks asylum

By Panu Wongcha-um

 

Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne was in Bangkok on Thursday after Canberra said it would consider giving asylum to an 18-year-old Saudi woman who fled to Thailand, saying she feared her family, which she accused of abuse, would kill her.

 

Payne is also expected to discuss the case of a Bahraini footballer with Australian asylum status who has been jailed in Thailand and faces extradition back to Bahrain.

 

Saudi teen Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun is currently staying in a Bangkok hotel under the care of the United Nation's refugee agency (UNHCR), which has been processing her application for refugee status ahead of possible resettlement in Australia.

 

She has refused to meet her father and brother, who arrived in Bangkok this week to try to take her back to Saudi Arabia while denying accusations that her family was abusing her physically and emotionally, Thai authority said.

 

Qunun was initially denied entry to Thailand when she arrived at the Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport on Saturday, intending to fly from there to Australia to seek asylum.

 

She was later allowed to enter Bangkok on Monday evening by the Thai authorities after a tense 48 hours that saw her refuse to board a flight to Saudi Arabia and barricade herself inside a transit lounge hotel room, while the world watched the drama unfold on social media.

 

Payne's visit will also put a spotlight on another refugee case, involving a Bahrain footballer Hakeem AlAraibi, who has refugee status in Australia but was arrested at Bangkok airport last year after arriving for his honeymoon.

 

AlAraibi is currently being detained in a Thai prison awaiting the outcome of extradition proceedings to Bahrain where he was previously convicted and is wanted by the authority.

 

Payne said in her statement that she will raise his case with the Thai government to find ways for his safe return to Australia.

 

World football governing body FIFA says AlAraibi should be freed and allowed to return to Australia where he plays for Melbourne football club Pascoe Vale in the second tier of the Australian League.

 

Activists have called on Thai authorities to "show humanity" to Alaraibi in the same way that they had to Qunun.

 

Payne will meet with Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Prajin Juntong as well as holding a bilateral meeting with her Thai counterpart, Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, as part of her first official visit to Thailandas foreign minister.

 

(Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-01-10

[bheard]

Don't expect anything good to come from Payne's visit. She's one of a very harsh regime.

Sent from my G8441 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[neeray]

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

She has refused to meet her father and brother

This young lady makes good decisions !

Hopefully more to come.

[smileydude]

Her visit show's a lot of empathy and effort by the Australian government to accommodate this single request but I wonder if it was really necessary (to spend taxpayer's money).  Could they not have a representative of the Australian consulate or someone at UNHCR process the paper work and do an interview then forward it to the Australian Foreign Ministry?

[Tradewind777]

1 hour ago, smileydude said:

Her visit show's a lot of empathy and effort by the Australian government to accommodate this single request but I wonder if it was really necessary (to spend taxpayer's money).  Could they not have a representative of the Australian consulate or someone at UNHCR process the paper work and do an interview then forward it to the Australian Foreign Ministry?

Visit was planned for some time. The case of Rahaf has occurred since the plan was announced.

[jaiyen]

So now "refugees" don't even have to get to Christmas Island to seek asylum. Just turn up at Bangkok airport and make a lot of noise. Yes, I do have sympathy for her, but there are millions who want asylum too in Australia. So what are the rules ?  

[lordblackader]

4 hours ago, bheard said:

Don't expect anything good to come from Payne's visit. She's one of a very harsh regime.

Sent from my G8441 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Yeah, because Australia accepting ~18,000 asylum seekers a year, one of the highest per capita levels in the world is SOO harsh, right.

[hansnl]

25 minutes ago, jaiyen said:

So now "refugees" don't even have to get to Christmas Island to seek asylum. Just turn up at Bangkok airport and make a lot of noise. Yes, I do have sympathy for her, but there are millions who want asylum too in Australia. So what are the rules ?  

What do you think of being a real refugee?

Fleeing for your life, for example?

[snoop1130]

Australia says no timeframe to decide case of Saudi teen asylum seeker

By Panu Wongcha-um and Patpicha Tanakasempipat

 

Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne speaks during a news conference at Australian Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, January 10, 2019. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said on Thursday there was no timeframe for the assessment of the case of Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, a Saudi woman who fled to Thailand saying she feared her family would kill her.

 

The U.N. refugee agency has referred Qunun to Australia for consideration for refugee resettlement.

 

"Following the UNHCR referrals, Australia is now going through the steps we are required to do in relation to the assessment process and then when that is complete an announcement will be made," Payne said in Bangkok, after arriving on a visit arranged before Qunun sought asylum.

 

Qunun is staying in a Bangkok hotel under the care of the UNHCR.

 

She arrived in Thailand on Saturday and was initially denied entry. She had been intending to fly from there to Australia to seek asylum.

 

She soon started posting messages on Twitter from the transit area of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport saying she had "escaped Kuwait" and her life would be in danger if forced to return to Saudi Arabia.

 

Within hours, a campaign sprang up, spread by a loose network of online activists, and the world watched as she refused to board a flight to Saudi Arabia and barricade herself inside a transit lounge hotel room.

 

On Monday evening, Thai authorities allowed her to enter the country.

 

Her case has drawn 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.

 

It comes at a time when Riyadh is facing unusually intense scrutiny from its Western allies over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October and over the humanitarian consequences of its war in Yemen.

 

'AUSTRALIA'S CONCERN'

 

Payne's visit has also thrown a spotlight on another refugee case, involving Bahrain footballer Hakeem AlAraibi, who has refugee status in Australia but was arrested at Bangkok airport last year after arriving for his honeymoon.

 

Bahrain made a request to have him extradited and he is in jail, waiting for a hearing to decide his case.

 

Payne with held talks with Thai Deputy Prime Minister Prajin Juntong, who is also justice minister, and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai.

 

"I also appreciate the opportunity ... to raise Australia's concern about the detention of and possible return of Mr Hakeem AlAraibi to Bahrain," Payne told reporters after the meeting.

 

"The Thai government is aware of the importance of this matter to Australia."

 

AlAraibi was convicted for vandalising a police station in Bahrain and sentenced to 10 years in prison in absentia.

 

"He has denied all wrongdoing as accused by the Bahrain government," Nadthasiri Bergman, AlAraibi's lawyer in Thailand told Reuters.

 

"He would be put in danger if he is sent back to Bahrain."

 

World football governing body FIFA says AlAraibi should be freed and allowed to return to Australia where he plays for Melbourne football club Pascoe Vale in the second tier of the Australian League.

 

Activists have called on Thai authorities to "show humanity" to AlAraibi in the same way that they did to Qunun.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-1-10

[natway09]

Not sure if Thailand has the balls to stand up to the Arab countries any more than China

[samran]

1 hour ago, jaiyen said:

So now "refugees" don't even have to get to Christmas Island to seek asylum. Just turn up at Bangkok airport and make a lot of noise. Yes, I do have sympathy for her, but there are millions who want asylum too in Australia. So what are the rules ?  

If they turn up by plane then they can claim asylum and have their cases processed on shore while they await the outcome.

 

It was only those who turn up by boat who are refused entry. Bogans got all hot and bothered by this, and the politicians naturally pandered to their fears.

 

This is despite the fact that more people have, and always have, claimed asylum arriving by plane.

[ronrat]

The problem with the boats was they were barely seaworthy, overcrowded and run by organised people smugglers demanding high fees. They would pull the emergency beacon when barely out of Indonesia and the Australian Border Force and the Navy and Airforce were spending millions getting them and finding them.And many were economic refugees, ie not legitimate. It had nothing to do with bogans. Many people died at sea.

[thurien]

6 hours ago, bheard said:

Don't expect anything good to come from Payne's visit. She's one of a very harsh regime.

Sent from my G8441 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

 

I think nothing wrong with such attitude with all these "truly valuable international travellers"...

[anon4546543]

3 hours ago, Tradewind777 said:

Visit was planned for some time. The case of Rahaf has occurred since the plan was announced.

It should be noted that Australian Federal Police notified Thai authorities about his (Alaraibi) visit. 

They are now saying it was a blunder. 

Apparently the footballer criticized the Bahraini soccer rep. Bahrain issued an arrest warrant for him and Australia naturally let

other countries do the dirty work. The Federal police are notorious for this. The Bali 9 were dobbed into the Indonesians for being drug mules.

Knowing that some of them would be executed.

 

 

[hobobo]

4 hours ago, smileydude said:

Her visit show's a lot of empathy and effort by the Australian government to accommodate this single request but I wonder if it was really necessary (to spend taxpayer's money).  Could they not have a representative of the Australian consulate or someone at UNHCR process the paper work and do an interview then forward it to the Australian Foreign Ministry?

I'm sure she flew Economy ????

[anon4546543]

7 hours ago, bheard said:

Don't expect anything good to come from Payne's visit. She's one of a very harsh regime.

Sent from my G8441 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Australia accepts more legitimate refugees per capita than any other country. Australia has possibly the most diversified population there is.

Australian aboriginals and the original white settlers descendants have been long in the minority because of Australian welcoming attitude.

All you need to do is follow the legal process. This includes a prospective migrant applying by normal means and potential refugees

applying from the nearest safe haven. Turning up unannounced by boat is illegal and the promise is not to allow you to the mainland.

Turning up unannounced by air will get you subject to the most intense scrutiny and possibly deported. As it should be.

Just follow the law of Australia. If you can't do that, easy, there are hundreds of countries in the world.   

[dinsdale]

Complete rubbish journalism. Do your homework Panu Wongcha-um. This visit has been well planned in advance for Hakeem AlAraibi's case not the other way around.????

[phantomfiddler]

I wish the young lady all the good fortune that could be bestowed on her. There are not many courageous enough to stand up against a religion that is founded on fear and violence. 

[car720]

14 hours ago, jaiyen said:

So now "refugees" don't even have to get to Christmas Island to seek asylum. Just turn up at Bangkok airport and make a lot of noise. Yes, I do have sympathy for her, but there are millions who want asylum too in Australia. So what are the rules ?  

Easy.

If you want to get your own way in this world, be born a woman.

[simon43]

Easy.

If you want to get your own way in this world, be born a woman.

 

Drat!  Now I know why I never get my way...

Is it too late for me to have a sex-change??

[Yme]

I thin the Thais have goe into brain freeze mode. One one hand they've never had so much publicity and their backflip have given their human rights image a boost. On the other hand there are a lot of refugees living in Bangkok who cannot work and who are looking for a home. Ms al_Qunun should join the end of the queue. She will clearly become an embarrassment to the Thais the longer she hangs around so I suspect the agreement is already in place that she will go to Australia quickly and in exchange the unlawful application by Bahrain against Mr AlAraibi will be dismissed and he deported. Though what the grounds for deportment will be will be interesting.

 

Good overview current up until Payne's visit here. These were the guys who first broke the story on al-Qunun. 

 

Thailand plays hard-ball defending Saudi teen’s human rights while Bahraini languishes in jail (video)

 

Either way it's going to be interesting to see how the Thais react to the next Rohingya seeking asylum.

 

[Artisi]

22 hours ago, smileydude said:

Her visit show's a lot of empathy and effort by the Australian government to accommodate this single request but I wonder if it was really necessary (to spend taxpayer's money).  Could they not have a representative of the Australian consulate or someone at UNHCR process the paper work and do an interview then forward it to the Australian Foreign Ministry?

I agree, if this is the sole reason for the visit, it's way over the top - could be handled locally by the professionals instead of a fly by night politician. 

[Artisi]

17 hours ago, spiderorchid said:

It should be noted that Australian Federal Police notified Thai authorities about his (Alaraibi) visit. 

They are now saying it was a blunder. 

Apparently the footballer criticized the Bahraini soccer rep. Bahrain issued an arrest warrant for him and Australia naturally let

other countries do the dirty work. The Federal police are notorious for this. The Bali 9 were dobbed into the Indonesians for being drug mules.

Knowing that some of them would be executed.

 

 

2 were executed for organising and running drugs, what a fantastic outcome.