Matthew wrote a post earlier this week discussing how he would feel more comfortable in Saudi Arabia than he would in Thailand following an incident with a Saudi national refugee transiting Bangkok to seek asylum. I see it differently.
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****UPDATE: This morning, the subject of this post accepted an offer from Canada to live there as requested by the UN.
The Situation in Question
Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, an 18-year female Saudi Arabian national fled her family and home country while on vacation in Kuwait to seek asylum in Australia and reportedly to avoid an arranged marriage. Thai officials originally intended to return her to Kuwait as a result of not having sufficient funds for travel nor a return ticket though she was connecting and not attempting to enter the Kingdom of Thailand. Saudi Arabian officials interdicted and attempted to return al-Qunun to Kuwait and ultimately to Saudi Arabia against her will despite objections that in so doing her life would be in danger.
Al-Qunun claimed to have been previously held by her family against her will for cutting her hair. The perceived danger is likely genuine.
“In 2017, Dina Lasloom, 24, was similarly attempting to seek asylum in Australia when she was stopped at an airport in Manila. She was forced to return to Saudi Arabia and has not been publicly heard from since.” – Washington Post
The Aggressor Was Saudi Arabian Officials, Not Thai Officials
Citizens often violate the law or societal norms of the country they’re fleeing when seeking asylum elsewhere. Whether a North Korean defector, an Eastern European Jew in the second world war, or the Vietnamese following the Vietnam War with the US – all have flouted their permissions to leave the country and likely many others but were welcomed in their new countries.
It was Saudi Arabian officials that attempted to intercept the traveler en route to Australia via Bangkok. The “diplomat” (I’m not sure they’ve earned that honorable title) attempted to enforce Saudi laws on foreign soil and remove the asylum seeker. This is the second notable time in recent months where Saudi officials have ignored international law to solve problems that have arisen outside their borders.
Thai officials, however, were not the aggressors in the situation. They did not intend to disrupt the asylum seeker’s travel outside of published reasons to deny entry into the Kingdom. It was the strong-arming of the Saudi official that committed the act of aggression. It should be noted that al-Qunun’s father is a senior governmental official.
Thai Officials May Have Acted Improperly
I have a theory regarding the process but have not found evidence to support or counter my premonitions (if you have information I do not, please list your source in the comments.) My theory is that a well-connected Saudi official approached lower level Thai immigration officials, explained that the passenger was:
- a criminal (she technically was according to their law)
- traveling without proper documentation (which would have been permission, as she had her passport)
- should be deported as a matter of priority
- she did not have a return ticket
- she did not carry sufficient cash (something Matthew has written about before)
If the woman explained she was seeking asylum (I have no doubt that she did,) I doubt the Thai officials followed their own (and international) refugee protocol. The question I have is whether or not they were given accurate information.
What is the procedure if a criminal is fleeing a country and that country requests extradition before they have been cleared through immigration?
Ultimately, Thai Officials Got It Right
The ordeal was harrowing for the woman, brave enough to seek asylum only to have to trap herself in a hotel room to avoid a return to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I am sure she felt her life was in jeopardy, it probably still is wherever she ultimately ends up. In the end, by the extreme measures of the traveler, she was able to demand and has now received United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees support. Thai officials are also providing support and have been supportive of refugees in the past.
It was not the Saudi officials that relented and dropped their pursuit of the matter, it was the Thai officials that took a stand. They made mistakes, sure, but in the end, the woman was able to receive the protection and assistance she needed.
I don’t judge anyone on the mistakes they make, but rather how they handle it. If Thai officials made a mistake but rectified their error, there’s no love lost for Thailand but there should be for Saudi Arabia. I didn’t feel unsafe when traveling to the Philippines though they didn’t respond as the Thai did in the aforementioned example.
Even During Turmoil, I’ve Always Felt Safe in Thailand
My wife and I love Thailand. We have been there during coups, riots, and rule by a military junta. We have always felt safe in Thailand. In fact, last summer, my wife and daughter spent five weeks living in the Kingdom and I mileage ran back and forth to join them. They felt safe and so did I, 8,000 miles away on the other side of the world.
Read More: Why I’m More Fearful of Flying Into Thailand Than Saudi Arabia
What do you think? Would you feel safer in Thailand or Saudi Arabia? Is Matthew right or am I? Is it something in between?
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She’s a Saudi citizen and subject to Saudi (sharia) law. Therefore she can be extradited and punished accordingly. You may not like it but if we are to respect others people cultures you get all of it. How come all the left wing multiculturalists aren’t on board with sending her back for her punishment? They seem to be ok with sharia law in the USA. Why not in Thailand?
“The left” doesn’t support honour killings?
And you can respect other people’s cultures whilst believing that exercising freedom of religion is not grounds for execution, and acting accordingly
This has nothing to do with the USA in any event.
“They seem to be ok with sharia law in the USA.”
Citation Needed
Left wing multiculturalists are ok with sharia law in the US? What an asinine thing to say.
Maybe you have not seen Linda Sarsour shenanigans usually covered so well on CNN. Or you conveniently choose to forget.
Your generalizations of all “left wing multiculturalists” is a nice sing of your bigotry.
Sign, not sing.
Sorry but I don’t respect other people’s religious Mumbo jumbo aka “culture”. Islamic fascists also push gays off buildings – should we respect that “culture”? I think not.
What a BS! First, it’s really stupid and insensitive to say it’s okay knowingly to send a person to her death. Second, Saudi laws apply on Saudi soil only (and that’s a good thing). And she has been given asylum in Canada, not US, btw, We do have a lot of Left with their crazy agendas in Canada but this one was the right thing to do, no matter the political affiliation.
I don’t have any respect for Saudi law, Islam or any other ridiculous religion. It’s you the USA that are to blame for these medieval heathens being allowed to continue their reign of terror. Saudi Arabia is a pariah state and the USA and a lot of the rest off the civilised world are to blame for appeasing their disgusting behaviour in the interests of OIL.
You didn’t need to rebut, Matthew’s post was ridiculous on it’s face. Nobody with have a brain took it seriously.
“Have” a brain?
I think he is functioning on the other half of your brain.
Thailand and Saudi Arabia are not even in same ballpark when it comes to safety. I have traveled to both and to compare them is foolish. Yes Thailand surely trails Singapore but definitely trumps India in safety (especially for women). Saudi Arabia is well behind all of these.
She was welcomed this morning in Canada
She was, I will update.
@WR2
agreed!
Thank you for this “rebuttal” post. I completely AGREE with you.
I didn’t even read his ridiculous take on it. I don’t think anyone with any real travel experience would give any credence to such a stupid claim.
I’m probably one of the only ones who has been to both places and I stand by my narrow opinion that I feel safer in KSA than Thailand.
You would be wrong again about being one of the only ones to go to both places. But you are right about your narrow (minded) opinion.
Maybe be if you keep reading other people’s blogs you’ll learn something.
Read and understand :
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5596423/Murders-rapes-60-unexplained-deaths-Brits-Thailand-just-two-years.html
The land of smiles.
Paulo, you’re are real tool. So you found a negative article on Thailand. Is there a country you cannot? You’re such an idliot. This was a comparison between two countries. Have you not seen the latest out of Saudi Arabia? Torture and killing? But do not take my word for it. Look at the travel advisories for comparison. Normal precautions for Thailand and extreme caution for Saudi Arabia. Get some education before you talk stupid!
@Fathiss
The whole point of Mathew’s post was to look at the experience in both countries from a visitor’s perspective. He took the view that Saudi Arabia could be said to be less dangerous. He was right; it is . No one is suggesting it’s nice; far from it.
Of course , there’s no point trying to argue against the rose coloured glasses view of Thailand ( most commonly seen from a bar stool).
@Paolo
Less dangerous in what sense?
@Julia
The risk of physical assault, rape, murder, disease, road accident, scam/fraud, drowning, medical malpractice/incompetence, police corruption/shakedown, identity theft, terrorism, All are FAR greater in Thailand than Saudi Arabia ( starting from the very minute of arrival).
I’m not an apologist for Saudi Arabia; I’ve been several times and have ZERO intention of returning. However, visitors to Thailand are lulled into a false sense of security by the ludicrous nonsense about it being the land of smiles ( a clever campaign but far removed from the very different reality).
It’s a sunny place for shady people ( as Somerset Maugham said of Miami) , and the chance of something going wrong is not insignificant.
All of what you described can and does happen in Saudi Arabia too, boo. Quite frequently as well.
Granted, I’m still not sure about Mathew’s argument makes sense (Saudi agents operating on Thai soil = Thailand is unsafe for travelers), because if we go by his logic…
https://www.oregonlive.com/news/2019/01/gone-more-cases-emerge-of-saudi-students-vanishing-while-facing-oregon-charges.html?fbclid=IwAR0xR02u6XgmbcjUz_r4UHouTtozW_0fwmlBvVMxVR8q4q5z0ffD4h6yy80
More like one of the only ones dumb enough to have been to both places….
“I’m probably one of the only ones who has been to both places”
That is a pretty arrogant assumption to male.
Make, not male.
I’ve been to both and I feel 10x safer in Thailand. Sharia is not very safe unless you are a Sunni Muslim male and even then many got imprisoned recently in the Ritz jail. Rule of law is much better in Thailand.
Doesn’t account for the fact that Thailand is a serial offender in these matters, little more than a lickspittle kowtowing to dark forces, regardless of whether it’s China or the cesspit states of the Middle East.
Hakeem al-Araibi ( refugee with legal residency in Australia) languishes in a Thai prison on a spurious warrant issued by Bahrain. The Thais cartwheel backwards to accommodate demands from these 12th century lowlifes, all the while ignoring fundamental human rights. It’s a disgrace.
Don’t try to explain this away as the mistake of a low level official. That would be a fundamental misunderstanding of how Thailand works.
He was accused of vandalism in Bahrain (his country before he fled from the law) and never faced the charges. I don’t know any more than you do whether he did it or not, but using this as an example, why don’t we claim any country who honors extradition agreements as corrupt and kowtowing? You really haven’t a clue do you?
Bahrain used Interpol to have him arrested…
“…have not found evidence to support or counter my premonitions…”. Premonitions?