Deutsche Welle right now:

Saudi teen who fled family will leave Thailand for Canada on Friday night , @Reuters quotes Thai immigration chief.

And she's at the airport, guy in grey is from the UN

Finally:

Saudi teen who fled family has left Thailand for Canada: official

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thai ... SKCN1P50QF

AP: Canada is "pleased" to offer asylum to Saudi teen, says PM Trudeau

Great news. I had my doubts she would survive this.

alfa164 wrote:

A3801000 wrote:

AP: Canada is "pleased" to offer asylum to Saudi teen, says PM Trudeau

Class move by Canada. They deserve accolades for not bowing to Saudi pressure, which I am sure was exerted on everyone.

Meh, Canada doesn’t need those liquid out of that ugly sand pit when they got plenty themselves anyway.

Plus it’s not like Canada and Saudi are getting along right now anyway. Remember how Canada called out on Saudi human rights and Saudi throw a tantrum and stops flight to Canada along with cancelling a bunch of scholarships?

She is going to have to spend the rest of her life always looking over her shoulder. I imagine it's not very hard for a male family member to get into Canada allowing them to eventually "right the wrong".

zakuivcustom wrote:

alfa164 wrote:

A3801000 wrote:

AP: Canada is "pleased" to offer asylum to Saudi teen, says PM Trudeau

Class move by Canada. They deserve accolades for not bowing to Saudi pressure, which I am sure was exerted on everyone.

Meh, Canada doesn’t need those liquid out of that ugly sand pit when they got plenty themselves anyway.

Plus it’s not like Canada and Saudi are getting along right now anyway. Remember how Canada called out on Saudi human rights and Saudi throw a tantrum and stops flight to Canada along with cancelling a bunch of scholarships?

I was thinking the same myself; I'm sure the Saudis put a lot of pressure on the Aussies behind the scenes and as Saudi is a big importer of Australian meat (lambs to the slaughter, ironically), that was one possible hold they had on them; the Canadians could - probably with immense pleasure - tell the Saudis to get stuffed. It is true, unfortunately, that the poor woman will probably have to look over her shoulder for quite a while and the Saudis won't soon forget the actions of a young woman who showed them up. Their public silence probably masks considerable seething.

alfa164 wrote:

A3801000 wrote:

AP: Canada is "pleased" to offer asylum to Saudi teen, says PM Trudeau

Class move by Canada. They deserve accolades for not bowing to Saudi pressure, which I am sure was exerted on everyone.

Kudos to Canada. At least one country with a spine.

Rahaf went to the Australian Embassy in Bangkok on Wednesday. The Australians were processing her case. But the UN was concerned at how long it was taking. Security wise it was not ideal for her stay too long in Bangkok. Canada stepped up yesterday & completed her visa process in just one day.
Australian officials last night were surprised by the sudden Canada development. Rahaf, while obviously overjoyed at being safe & headed to a 3rd country, had still hoped to come to Australia (where her close friends are.)

And she arrived in Toronto, save and sound.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/ ... are_btn_tw




What a shame we still have to save women in 2019. Just looking at all the hate she receives on twitter from her follow country men is unbelievable. What kind of 'men' are they?

BestWestern wrote:

Why so much panic over an 18 year old Saudi and why is she getting such priority asylum service? Beauty? Twitter? What about all the other asylum seekers?

Good question. I think the fact she is a nice looking young woman from Saudi ticks a lot of boxes. Saudi Arabia is a powerful state that oppresses women. This year, we have been thinking about how to deal with Saudi's excessive wrongdoings. Her situation easily fit the definition of credible fear of oppression and physical harm. Yet, making her an asylum case is provocative and newsworthy.

Most other asylum cases are nowhere near as clear cut as this. Asylum is a word that has been overused and abused beyond recognition. It is important we remember that political persecution is a special and relatively rare situation that should not be confused with other migration types.

Why do officials feel the need to parade her in front of the cameras?

Vio wrote:

Why do officials feel the need to parade her in front of the cameras?

To show how important and manly they are.

Vio wrote:

Why do officials feel the need to parade her in front of the cameras?

She asked to be shown to the world so that the millions of people who are worried about her could see that she was safe and sound. She was not paraded.

I think that a lot of people don't understand what happened here and just how remarkable of a young woman she showed herself to be. She somehow managed to get out of KSA as a single young woman, which is a feat in and of itself. When she was stopped at BKK she didn't just yield, she didn't give up. She did everything she could to get away. Most importantly, she knew enough to make a lot of noise. She used the right channels and she approached the right people and handled it the right way.

If you work with young people, you see that this kind of behavior is very uncommon; it's remarkable.

But moreover, I see a lot of tone-deafness here. I guess that's because most people didn't come from overbearing families in which your parents didn't see you as a human being, but as an object. Any variation from their plan for you is unacceptable. You will be abused. You will be threatened. You will be called "worthless" and "shameful" and they will threaten you with the loss of everything you need to live. Food, clothes, education, shelter...even air itself. You must not know what it's like to have parents who see you as property. And while that's wonderful for you, maybe you should approach this phenomenon from a standpoint of curiosity and willingness to learn, rather than declarations and condemnations.

It seems that in situations like this, Canada always steps up to help out. I wish more of the world was like Canada.

My concern now is that this whole incident will have made life much more difficult for Saudi women travelling abroad.

alfa164 wrote:

A3801000 wrote:

AP: Canada is "pleased" to offer asylum to Saudi teen, says PM Trudeau

Class move by Canada. They deserve accolades for not bowing to Saudi pressure, which I am sure was exerted on everyone.

+1

DocLightning wrote:

She somehow managed to get out of KSA as a single young woman, which is a feat in and of itself. When she was stopped at BKK she didn't just yield, she didn't give up. She did everything she could to get away. Most importantly, she knew enough to make a lot of noise. She used the right channels and she approached the right people and handled it the right way.

Remarkable indeed and I'm sure that the Saudi government is conducting a thorough investigation which will make it much more difficult for people in her position to escape.

In case anyone feels like, this is her canadian families GofundMe for her:

https://www.gofundme.com/saverahafofficial

Best of luck to her, cheeky having a wine after renouncing Islam! Surefire way to ensure her refugee status

Would've loved to welcome her here to Australia, but I'm sure Canada has gained a valuable citizen.

The silence from the Saudis is deafening; do I hear the swish of sharpening bone saws? I can only imagine the Saudi embassy in Ottawa is gaining any information it can possibly glean about her location ...

kaitak wrote:

I can only imagine the Saudi embassy in Ottawa is gaining any information it can possibly glean about her location ...

I'm quite certain they already know. Gross negligence on the side of the creator of the gofundme also linked a few post above who mentioned the full clear names of the members of her host family in Canada. I have already contacted them to take out the names, hasn't happened yet but would most likely be too late anyway. A hitsquad is probably being assembled as we write...

Way too much detail has been given on the whole process. All that should've been publicly mentioned is that she has left Thailand and is in a safe place now. She will need to relocate again under a new identity to hat least have a little safety from the saudi government and her family.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs in Canada reported she had welcomed the young Saudi woman into Canada at the weekend. Our PM Justin loves his tweets and photo opportunities! I agree with other posters that it is surprising if you are genuinely in fear of being deported back to "certain death" that your focus os on shopping around for the best offer of asylum. There's something fishy in the whole story i think. From my understanding a woman in saudi cannot leave the country without formal permission from the male guardian (father or husband etc). Somethings up and it will all come out in the wash i predict. If its not genuine then it truly will harm the chances of those women in saudi who are in real fear of their lives from trying to flee.

steveinbc wrote:

There's something fishy in the whole story i think. From my understanding a woman in saudi cannot leave the country without formal permission from the male guardian (father or husband etc). Somethings up.

yeah.. what is "up" is that she fled from Qatar, since, as you correctly pointed out, Saudi Arabia is a huge slave camp.

best regards
Thomas.

A3801000 wrote:

In case anyone feels like, this is her canadian families GofundMe for her:

https://www.gofundme.com/saverahafofficial

Gofundme? She flew business class to Canada.

BestWestern wrote:

A3801000 wrote:

In case anyone feels like, this is her canadian families GofundMe for her:

https://www.gofundme.com/saverahafofficial

Gofundme? She flew business class to Canada.

And? Do you think she paid for the trip herself?

steveinbc wrote:

The Minister for Foreign Affairs in Canada reported she had welcomed the young Saudi woman into Canada at the weekend. Our PM Justin loves his tweets and photo opportunities! I agree with other posters that it is surprising if you are genuinely in fear of being deported back to "certain death" that your focus os on shopping around for the best offer of asylum. There's something fishy in the whole story i think. From my understanding a woman in saudi cannot leave the country without formal permission from the male guardian (father or husband etc). Somethings up and it will all come out in the wash i predict. If its not genuine then it truly will harm the chances of those women in saudi who are in real fear of their lives from trying to flee.

Her being scared to death is not fishy at all imo! She seems to have a good head on her shoulders and knew this was her only shot. And she barely made it out. Indeed class move by Canada and full credit to this young woman also. (She took on the Saudi regime and she won! Fierce...)

So how come my comment here was deleted?

tommy1808 wrote:

steveinbc wrote:

There's something fishy in the whole story i think. From my understanding a woman in saudi cannot leave the country without formal permission from the male guardian (father or husband etc). Somethings up.

yeah.. what is "up" is that she fled from Qatar, since, as you correctly pointed out, Saudi Arabia is a huge slave camp.

best regards
Thomas.

Actually Kuwait, as she apparently slipped away during a family vacation trip. Kuwait permits females to travel alone.

ThePointblank wrote:

tommy1808 wrote:

steveinbc wrote:

There's something fishy in the whole story i think. From my understanding a woman in saudi cannot leave the country without formal permission from the male guardian (father or husband etc). Somethings up.

yeah.. what is "up" is that she fled from Qatar, since, as you correctly pointed out, Saudi Arabia is a huge slave camp.

best regards
Thomas.

Actually Kuwait, as she apparently slipped away during a family vacation trip. Kuwait permits females to travel alone.

yeah.. my mistake, thanks for the correction.

best regards
Thomas

kaitak wrote:

The silence from the Saudis is deafening; do I hear the swish of sharpening bone saws? I can only imagine the Saudi embassy in Ottawa is gaining any information it can possibly glean about her location ...

I’m sure for her own protection she’ll end up with a new identity and just disappear after the media lose interest.

Kiwirob wrote:

kaitak wrote:

The silence from the Saudis is deafening; do I hear the swish of sharpening bone saws? I can only imagine the Saudi embassy in Ottawa is gaining any information it can possibly glean about her location ...

I’m sure for her own protection she’ll end up with a new identity and just disappear after the media lose interest.

The father won't lose interest. He's a powerful man, she will never be safe as long as he's alive.

salttee wrote:

Kiwirob wrote:

kaitak wrote:

The silence from the Saudis is deafening; do I hear the swish of sharpening bone saws? I can only imagine the Saudi embassy in Ottawa is gaining any information it can possibly glean about her location ...

I’m sure for her own protection she’ll end up with a new identity and just disappear after the media lose interest.

The father won't lose interest. He's a powerful man, she will never be safe as long as he's alive.

Her parents have disowned her, and right now, she's staying at a facility with 24/7 security onsite for her protection. She hasn't indicated that she intends on staying in Toronto for the long haul, so she could head elsewhere in Canada after a short bit.

Her family might do something but I doubt the Saudi state would, they have already crossed a line, now they're trying to recover from that.

An op-ed which has a more pragamatic view of this episode

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contrib ... thers.html

golfradio wrote:

An op-ed which has a more pragamatic view of this episode

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contrib ... thers.html

Thank you for posting the link. It was certainly worth the read.

I’ll bet she doesn’t last one year in Canada. She’ll be back in the sandbox soon enough!

Aesma wrote:

Her family might do something but I doubt the Saudi state would, they have already crossed a line, now they're trying to recover from that.

Of course her family will be the "executive", but behind the courtains the Saudi government will of course assist them in any way possible, especially with the father being in a quite powerful position. Look for a Kashoggi style action in the near future. Not in an embassy, she'll just disappear on her way to school, grocery shopping, whatever. Only if she continues to be taken care of in such reckless fashion as until now of course.

Zeppi wrote:

Not in an embassy, she'll just disappear on her way to school, grocery shopping, whatever.

.... well, i guess we should start burning down an Embassy for each guest they disappear.

best regards
Thomas

Two Saudi girls who had taken asylum in US found dead in mysterious circumstance duct-taped together few months back. She would do good to watch her back.

2 Sisters Were Found Dead in the River, Duct-Taped Together. Police Have Few Answers.

Rotana Farea was 22; Tala Farea was 16. They had a history of going missing, and they had recently requested asylum in the United States, the police said.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rig ... udi_Arabia
From the WIKI article it looks like The Wings of Change are in the air in Saudi. People are getting tired of being forced into religious law that doesn't even support common human decency.

stratclub wrote:

The Wings of Change are in the air in Saudi. .

birds get dismembered in Saudi Arabia.

best regards
Thomas

stratclub wrote:

The Wings of Change are in the air in Saudi. .

Yes, in about 300 years they should be just fine.

How long did it take communism to fall? Change can happen in a generation.

stratclub wrote:

How long did it take communism to fall? Change can happen in a generation.

Yea, sure.

salttee wrote:

stratclub wrote:

How long did it take communism to fall? Change can happen in a generation.

Yea, sure.

You should read the article I posted..............

stratclub wrote:

salttee wrote:

stratclub wrote:

How long did it take communism to fall? Change can happen in a generation.

Yea, sure.

You should read the article I posted..............

The one that began: Human rights in Saudi Arabia are intended to be based on the Wahhabi religious laws under absolute rule of the Saudi royal family. The strict regime ruling the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is consistently ranking among the "worst of the worst" in Freedom House's annual survey of political and civil rights.

Maybe you should read it.

Aesma wrote:

Her family might do something but I doubt the Saudi state would, they have already crossed a line, now they're trying to recover from that.

Me too.. it would be very stupid if the Saudi government to try to hurt her as that would immediately trigger a lot of negative press and maybe sanctions as well. But her family might try and find her...

ThePointblank wrote:

salttee wrote:

Kiwirob wrote:

I’m sure for her own protection she’ll end up with a new identity and just disappear after the media lose interest.

The father won't lose interest. He's a powerful man, she will never be safe as long as he's alive.

Her parents have disowned her, and right now, she's staying at a facility with 24/7 security onsite for her protection. She hasn't indicated that she intends on staying in Toronto for the long haul, so she could head elsewhere in Canada after a short bit.

Agreed. Canada is a massive nation, so there’s plenty of places to disappear. I wish her the best.

salttee wrote:

stratclub wrote:

How long did it take communism to fall? Change can happen in a generation.

Yea, sure.

Well, change can happen rather quick. However, there won´t be change as long as the rest of the world pretends Saudi Arabia has a honorable government

And communism only failed quickly as viewed from the west, and only if you didn´t really pay attention. Communism in a large part fell because the USSR wasn´t in the mood to put it down by the end of the 90´s, the Wall in Germany fell suddenly because of a bureaucratic misunderstanding, but places like Poland or Czechoslovakia had plenty of resistance for decades.....

best regards
Thomas

tommy1808 wrote:

salttee wrote:

stratclub wrote:

How long did it take communism to fall? Change can happen in a generation.

Yea, sure.

Well, change can happen rather quick. However, there won´t be change as long as the rest of the world pretends Saudi Arabia has a honorable government

And communism only failed quickly as viewed from the west, and only if you didn´t really pay attention. Communism in a large part fell because the USSR wasn´t in the mood to put it down by the end of the 90´s, the Wall in Germany fell suddenly because of a bureaucratic misunderstanding, but places like Poland or Czechoslovakia had plenty of resistance for decades.....

best regards
Thomas

You really think that the ground zero for fundamentalist Islam can change? And quickly?

I think you're both dreaming.

When the Italians, Spaniards or Latin Americans walk away from Catholicism get back to me. When the Mormons admit that the whole pile of Joseph Smith's hallucinations is really a pile of hogwash, get back to me. Until things like that start to happen, Saudi Arabia is stuck in the 7th century.