Canada grants Saudi Woman Rahaf Alqunun Asylum

Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun with Canadian minister Chrystia Freeland (R)

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland (R) has welcomed Saudi teen Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun. (AAP) Source: AAP

An 18-year-old Saudi woman - who fled alleged abuse by her family - is on her way to a new life in Canada after she was granted asylum.


Saudi woman, Rahaf Alqunun boarded a Korean Air flight from the Thai capital to Seoul late on Friday night before flying to Toronto.

The Australian government has welcomed the news, saying Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun's safety was its primary concern.

Ms Alqunun had been initially denied entry to Bangkok but after a tense 48-hour airport stand-off -  some of it barricaded in a transit lounge hotel room -  she was allowed to enter the country.

There, her case was processed by the United Nations Refugee Agency.

The teenager has accused her family of abuse, and has refused to meet her father and brother who reportedly arrived in Bangkok to try take her back to Saudi Arabia.

Please find out more on SBS Mandarin Website.

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Canada grants Saudi Woman Rahaf Alqunun Asylum | SBS Chinese