Thai immigration chief Surachate Hakparn had said Qunun was waiting, with local and Saudi embassy officials on hand, to board a flight to Saudi Arabia, traveling via Kuwait. But he denied that her passport had been seized and that embassy officials were present inside the airport. Immigration chief Surachate said Sunday that Qunun was denied entry because she lacked “further documents such as return ticket or money”, and Thailand had contacted the “Saudi Arabia embassy to coordinate”. Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Twitter from its Bangkok embassy, disputing her account. Saudi Arabia has come under fierce criticism following the murder of dissident journalist Khashoggi inside the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate on October 2 — a case that stunned the world.

Source: Egypt Independent January 07, 2019 08:37 UTC