Published
An 18-year-old Saudi woman who fled her family at the weekend has reiterated her plea for asylum in Canada, the United States, Australia or the UK.
Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun refused to board a flight from Bangkok to Kuwait on Monday and barricaded herself into her airport hotel room.
She said she feared her family would kill her for renouncing Islam.
She is now staying at a Thai government shelter while the UN refugee agency assesses her case.
Her father and brother have arrived but she is refusing to see them.
Renunciation of Islam, known as apostasy, is punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.
Thai immigration officials had initially said she should return to Kuwait.
In another development, Ms Mohammed al-Qunun said her passport had been returned. A Saudi diplomat had reportedly seized it when she flew into Thailand from Kuwait on Saturday.
She has told the BBC that she is fine, and hoping to be granted asylum in a third country.
She captured the attention of social media users around the world by live-tweeting every twist and turn in her story. Her brand new Twitter account attracted 50,000 followers in a day and a half.
What are her grounds for claiming asylum?
"My life is in danger," Ms Mohammed al-Qunun told Reuters news agency. "My family threatens to kill me for the most trivial things."
Her father is the governor of al-Sulaimi, a town in the northern Saudi province of Hail.
A spokesperson for her family told the BBC that they did not wish to comment and all they cared about was the young woman's safety.
Human Rights Watch and other campaign groups have expressed grave concerns for Ms Mohammed al-Qunun.
She had travelled to Thailand for a connecting flight to Australia, where she originally hoped to seek asylum.
On Tuesday morning she retweeted her original appeal for asylum, adding in a subsequent tweet: "I want Canada to give me asylum."
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post by Rahaf Mohammed رهف محمد القنون
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post by Rahaf Mohammed رهف محمد القنون
The Australian government said it was "pleased" the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) was assessing her claim.
"Any application by Ms al-Qunun for a humanitarian visa will be carefully considered once the UNHCR process has concluded," a Department of Home Affairs official said.
The UN agency said it was "very grateful" that officials in Thailand had not deported her but her asylum claim would take "several days" to assess.
Saudi Arabia's embassy in Thailand has denied that its government is seeking her extradition, Reuters news agency reports.
How is Thailand handling her case?
On Monday evening local time, Thailand's chief of immigration police, Surachate Hakparn, said the country would "take care of her as best we can".
"She is now under the sovereignty of Thailand; no-one and no embassy can force her to go anywhere.
"Thailand is a land of smiles. We will not send anyone to die."
Mr Surachate said he would meet Saudi diplomats to clarify Thailand's decision.
Thailand's immigration chief told Reuters any meeting between the young woman and her father would have to be approved by the UN.
Thailand is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention and provides no legal protection to asylum seekers, although there are more than 100,000 refugees in the country.
An injunction filed by Thai lawyers in Bangkok criminal court to stop the deportation was dismissed earlier on Monday.
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post 2 by Rahaf Mohammed رهف محمد القنون
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of twitter post 2 by Rahaf Mohammed رهف محمد القنون
Why Saudi Arabia matters to the West
Published
15 October 2018
Saudi Arabia 'tortured women activists'
Published
21 November 2018
Saudi women in 'inside-out abaya' protest
Published
15 November 2018
Saudis 'helped car death suspect flee'
Published
24 December 2018
Arrested for flying without a man
Published
1 June 2017
Saudi asylum seeker 'taken home' by family
Published
12 April 2017