Sydney/Bangkok — Australia is considering taking in an 18-year-old Saudi woman who fled to Thailand saying she feared her family would kill her, after the UN refugee agency referred her case for consideration, the Australian government said on Wednesday. Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun arrived in Bangkok on Saturday appealing for asylum. Australia said it would consider resettling her if the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) deemed her a refugee. “The UNHCR has referred Ms Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun to Australia for consideration for refugee resettlement,” said Australia’s department of homeland security. The department said it would consider the referral “in the usual way, as it does with all UNHCR referrals”. It declined to comment further. The UNHCR office in Thailand also declined to comment. Australian foreign minister Marise Payne is due in Bangkok on Thursday for a visit arranged earlier, during which she will discuss the case of Bahrain footballer Hakeem Alaraibi, who has refug...
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