The United Nations refugee agency has assessed the case of a Saudi teenager trying to get to Australia and found she is a genuine refugee.
Rahaf Mohammed Mutlaq Alqunun will be subject to Australian checks before she is granted a humanitarian visa, including character and security assessments.
In a statement, the Department of Home Affairs says it will consider the referral from the UN in the usual way.
The 18-year-old claims she was abducted and had her passport confiscated by Saudi Arabian diplomatic staff after she arrived at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sunday.
She was travelling to Australia on a tourist visa to seek asylum and barricaded herself in a Thai hotel room to avoid being sent home.
Before the referral, Australia signalled it would seriously consider allowing Ms Alqunun to settle in Australia after urging the UNHCR to process her case quickly.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said there would be no "special treatment" in Ms Alqunun's case.
"Nobody wants to see a young girl in distress and she has obviously now found a safe haven in Thailand," Mr Dutton told reporters in Brisbane today.
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.
She has renounced Islam and wrote of being in "real danger" if forced to return to her family under pressure from Saudi authorities and has claimed she could be killed.
Saudi Arabia has strict social rules, including a requirement women have permission from a male "guardian" to travel.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten wrote to Prime Minister Scott Morrison giving his support for the woman's claim if she was found to be a refugee.
“Should Ms Mohammed Alqunun be found to have valid protection claims and entitled to asylum, Labor would be supportive of any government moves to offer her humanitarian settlement," Mr Shorten wrote.
Amnesty International has praised the UN refugee ruling.
In a statement the human right's group said Alqunun's case had inspired millions and should remind people of the bravery and sacrifices of people who flee their native lands for safety.
It praised Thailand for its actions in Alqunun's case, but said the country had not treated other asylum-seekers in the same responsible manner.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/2019/01/09/17/16/saudi-refugee-united-nations-thailand-refugee
No comments:
Post a Comment