Saudi asylum seeker off to Canada

Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, an 18-year-old Saudi woman who fled her family, is pictured in the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) building Bangkok, Thailand, January 11, 2019, before leaving for the airport, after she was granted asylum in Canada. Khaled Ibrahim/UNHCR/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.

BANGKOK: The 18-year-old Saudi asylum seeker who fled her family and harnessed the power of Twitter to stave off deportation from Thailand was en route to Canada, in a surprise twist after officials gave heavy hints she was bound for Australia.

Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun’s (pic) attempt to flee the ultra-conservative kingdom was embraced by rights groups as a beacon of defiance against repression.