Australia to ‘carefully consider’ Saudi woman’s asylum plea
Australia quietly pressed authorities in Thailand to grant UN access to Rahaf Mohammed Al-QununBANGKOK: Australia today vowed to consider an 18-year-old Saudi woman’s plea for asylum, further easing fears she could be forcibly returned home. Rahaf Mohammed Al-Qunun’s desperate bid to reach Australia will be “carefully considered” if the United Nations deems she is at risk, an official told AFP. Qunun, fleeing alleged abuse by her conservative family, says she tried to reach Australia on a tourist visa. But she was stopped en route by authorities in Thailand at the request of the Saudi government, which demanded the woman return to her family. “Any application by Al-Qunun for a humanitarian visa will be carefully considered once the UNHCR process has concluded,” the official said.
Source: The Express Tribune January 08, 2019 12:54 UTC
