Like Tree32Likes

Saudi Sisters "stuck" in Hong Kong

Closed Thread
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 LastLast
  1. #1

    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    薄扶林
    Posts
    47,964

    Saudi Sisters "stuck" in Hong Kong

    Quite the story, which is very similar to that of Rahaf Mohammed who was stranded in Thailand a month or so ago:

    "We allege that they were the subject of an attempted kidnapping in an international airport in a restricted area," Vidler tells CNN. "The Saudi Consulate was actively trying to deceive them."

    CNN has approached the Saudi Consulate in Hong Kong and the Saudi Foreign Ministry for comment on the sisters' claims and has not received a response. Hong Kong Police have confirmed that they're investigating the allegations.

    SriLankan Airlines says at no time did the sisters indicate there was a problem. The women disagree.

    Vidler says that closed circuit television seen by his team appears to confirm that Saudi Consul General Omar Al Bunayan was at the airport, speaking to the women and airline staff.
    In the five months since, they've moved from shelter to shelter, hotel to hotel, to evade detection and their potential forced return to Riyadh.

    The sisters have not sought asylum in Hong Kong, however. Doing so would have put them at the end of a long queue of claimants caught in Hong Kong's Unified Screening Mechanism (USM), a system used by the government to process asylum claims. The UNHCR doesn't assess claims in Hong Kong.
    https://edition.cnn.com/2019/02/20/a...ntl/index.html
    drumbrake likes this.

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    /home/timonoj
    Posts
    1,432

    Truly scary, and not a very good country to be stuck at. Hope some civilized country would offer them asylum. Can't hope much from this government.

    MABinPengChau and Mrs. Jones like this.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Taiwan and HK
    Posts
    6,158

    They should try Canada, that's where the last woman went, likely their best chance.

    timonoj likes this.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Posts
    6,531
    Cathay Pacific tells CNN that the sisters' flight was canceled by representatives of SriLankan Airlines.
    SriLankan Airlines told CNN its staff members canceled the flight at the "explicit request" of the Saudi Consulate, which had already booked the sisters on the flight to Riyadh.
    How is that possible that the airline would have the prerogative or even motivation to do that to a paying, adult customer?

    I guess that's the whole damn problem with them -- they treat grown women like children that need supervision. That Hong Kong officials and representatives of companies would play along with that is appalling.

    There's no mention of how we can help these women, although there's plenty of others with the awful refugee status here already in need of help...

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    薄扶林
    Posts
    47,964
    How is that possible that the airline would have the prerogative or even motivation to do that to a paying, adult customer?
    Was thinking about this. Airlines don't allow you to board if they know you don't have a valid visa or might be turned around etc.

    I can imagine the Saudi officials telling Sri Lankan Airlines or Cathay that the passports of their passengers are cancelled and invalid. At this point, the airline would not let them board.

    Just speculating...

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Taiwan and HK
    Posts
    6,158

    I watch "Border Security" about Australia from time to time and they show, in excruciating detail, the immigration officials interrogating people whose tourist visas are about to be canceled (coming to Australia for work, etc.). If they are coming to claim asylum then it isn't a valid tourist "purpose" - they did say Australia was canceling the tourist visas and not sure of the order of events (because I think no one actually knows the order of this mess, not even the sisters). So the airline would be super quick to cancel the tickets on this basis as well as the Saudis revoking the passport. Just watching Border Security, Australia seems super strict and they denied entry for anyone who looked like they were not just coming as a tourist (they keep asking them the sights they are planning to see, etc.). Any doubt and the tourist visa is canceled.

    Mrs. Jones likes this.

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Posts
    6,531

    So can any country in effect exercise a kind of extradition and make someone's life hell by simply, regardless of where that person is, "cancelling" their passport?


  8. #8

    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    薄扶林
    Posts
    47,964
    Quote Originally Posted by Elegiaque:
    So can any country in effect exercise a kind of extradition and make someone's life hell by simply, regardless of where that person is, "cancelling" their passport?
    Look at the twitter thread in this link, which reveals how this "works"

    https://geoexpat.com/forum/84/thread...ml#post3616035

  9. #9

    Stay out of Canada.


  10. #10

    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Location
    Taiwan and HK
    Posts
    6,158
    Quote Originally Posted by Char Siu King:
    Stay out of Canada.
    Any particular reason for this? I think they are fine with almost anywhere over Saudi Arabia...
    shri and timonoj like this.

Closed Thread
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 LastLast