Australia prepared to offer visa to Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun if she is assessed as refugee

The Morrison government is prepared to grant a humanitarian visa to a Saudi teen who believes her family will kill her.

Chief of Immigration Police Maj. Gen. Surachate Hakparn, right, walks with Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun. Picture: AP

The Morrison government is prepared to grant a humanitarian visa to Saudi Arabian woman Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun — who believes her family will kill her for leaving the Islamic faith — if she is assessed as a refugee by the UN and passes character and security checks.

The Australian understands Immigration Minister David Coleman is “very likely” to grant asylum to Ms Alqunun, subject to normal security vetting pro­cesses, but will not allow her to fly ­direct to Australia to make her claim.

The 18-year-old planned to enter Australia on a tourist visa and apply for asylum but was stopped by Thai authorities at an airport in Bangkok on Monday.

A government source said Ms Alqunun’s tourist visa had not been revoked, as claimed by her supporters, but confirmed she would be refused entry to Aus­tralia on the document because it did not reflect her intended ­reason for visiting Australia.

Ms Alqunun is under the care of the UNHCR in Bangkok where her refugee claims will be ­assessed. Thai officials initially blocked UNHCR access to the woman and claimed to have seized her passport at the request of the Saudi government after being informed that she was a “runaway”.

A Morrison government source said Ms Alqunun was able to apply for asylum in another country, noting her social media accounts pleading for Canada to accept her as a refugee.

“I want Canada to give me asylum,” Ms Alqunun’s Twitter ­account read last night.

A Department of Home ­Affairs spokesman confirmed Ms Alqunun would be considered for a humanitarian visa if she was granted refugee status. “The government has made represent­ations to the Thai government and the Bangkok office of the UNHCR about its serious concerns on this matter and the need for Ms Alqunun’s claim to be ­assessed expeditiously,” the spokesman said.

“Any application by Ms Alqunun for a humanitarian visa will be carefully considered once the UNHCR process has concluded. Whether someone holds a visitor visa does not have a bearing on this process.”

UNHCR public information officer Caroline Gluck said a decision on her refugee status could be made within days.

A young Sweden-based Saudi woman who helped Ms Alqunun escape and has taken management of her Twitter account told The Australian her friend would accept asylum in any country where she would be safe, including Canada, Australia, the US and Britain.

The woman, who asked to be referred to only by the initials SH, said her friend had opted for an Australian visa because it was one of the few countries offering online tourist visa applications.

“Rahaf was not able to leave the house alone to get a visa so it was easier for her to get an Australian visa online,” she said. “But right now it doesn’t matter which country takes her in. What matters is that Rahaf gets out of Thailand and goes to a country which can save her. We believe the UNHCR is trying their best to help her but we are not sure if Rahaf is safe in Thailand.

“We all know the Saudi embassy has all the power to get Rahaf back to Saudi Arabia. We don’t know if her father is planning to work with the Saudi ­embassy to get her back but we are worried about that.”

Supporters of Ms Alqunun said she was relieved to have been given a reprieve from deportation by the Thai government, but was still “very, very frightened”, particularly after Thai authorities confirmed the arrival in Bangkok yesterday of her father, a senior provincial government official, and her brother.

Those concerns were heightened when Thai immigration police chief Surachate Hakpal said, following a meeting with Saudi embassy officials, that the two countries had agreed the case was a “personal matter … not political asylum or inter­national asylum”.

“Today I heard the brother and father came at 12pm to Thailand and I will co-ordinate with the UNHCR because (Ms Alqunun) is under their care,” he said. “However, for them to meet and talk, the UNHCR will have to be the one that allows that. The father and brother probably want their side to be heard.”

Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said he too was concerned about the risk posed to Ms Alqunun’s safety by the arrival of her father.

“The Saudis have a reputation for throwing their weight around and this guy (her father) is a senior official from a traditionally strong clan,” he said.

“But she is 18 and has a right to say she doesn’t want to see him.”

Ms Gluck confirmed Thai immigration authorities had requested a meeting with UNHCR to discuss the arrival of Ms Alqunun’s male relatives, with a view to facilitating a meeting with UNHCR and also Ms Alqunun if she was willing, but said the prospect of such a meeting threw up a “lot of concerns around safety and protection”.

“We want to make sure (Rahaf) is not under undue trauma. At the same time the Thai authorities are responsible for her well being so we have to find a balance between these two sensitive thing,” she said.

“We have some concerns but at the end of the day it will be the individual’s decision. She’s of age to decide what’s in her best interests. She has said she is concerned for her safety if returned.”

Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun with UN and Thai officials in Bangkok yesterday