A Saudi woman who barricaded herself in an airport hotel room in Thailand has left the building "under the care" of the UN refugee agency.
18-year-old Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun has been granted temporary accommodation in Thailand.
She claimed her "abusive" family would put her to death if she was sent back to the Arab kingdom.
The teenager is seeking asylum in Australia - and has pleaded for help on social media, tweeting a video which shows her barricading her hotel door with a table and a mattress.
Ms Alqunun said her father had arrived in Thailand, but that she 'feels safe' under UNHCR protection.
She also said her passport had been returned to her.
Hey I'm Rahaf. My father just arrived as I heard witch worried and scared me a lot and I want to go to another country that I seek asylum in
But at least I feel save now under UNHCR protection with the agreement of Thailand authorities. And I finally got my passport backðŸ™ðŸ»â¤ï¸ pic.twitter.com/pQER7HDVi7— Rahaf Mohammed ره٠مØمد القنون (@rahaf84427714) January 7, 2019
Speaking earlier at Bangkok Airport, Lieutenant General Surachate Hakparn said Thai authorities would not deport her against her will.
"If deporting her would result in her death, we definitely wouldn't want to do that," he said.
"Since Thailand is the land of smiles, of course we won't send someone to their death."
Thai Chief of Immigration Police Maj. Gen. Surachate Hakparn talks to media about the status Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun during a press conference, 07-01-2018 | Image: Sakchai Lalit/AP/Press Association Images
Thai authorities granted the UNHCR access to the woman at Bangkok Airport to assess her need for international refugee protection.
The UNHCR said it had been "following developments closely".
She told human rights groups and the media that she was stopped at Bangkok Airport in transit from Kuwait and had her passport taken from her.
She claimed that she fled her family fearing for her life and had been planning to head to Australia where she hoped to seek asylum.
The UNHCR advocates that refugees and asylum seekers, having been confirmed or claimed to be in need of international protection, cannot be returned to their countries of origin according to the principle of non-refoulement.
Non-refoulement is an international principle that prevents states from expelling or returning persons to a territory where their life or freedom would be threatened.
This principle is recognised as customary international law, and is also enshrined in Thailand's other treaty obligations.
"Great harm"
Meanwhile, Amnesty International warned that any attempt by Thai authorities to return her to any place where she would "face a real risk of serious human rights abuses."
Samah Hadid, Amnesty’s Middle East Director of Campaigns said the teenager is "at risk of great harm if Thai authorities deport her back to Saudi Arabia via Kuwait."
"Reports that a Saudi official confiscated her passport upon arrival in Bangkok are extremely concerning," she said.
"The arbitrary confiscation of a passport also violates the right to freedom of movement.
"She has expressed clear fears for her safety if she returns to her family, and could face criminal charges in Saudi Arabia for disobeying laws on male guardianship."
"we won’t send someone to their death" ~ Thailand immigration chief on the case of @rahaf84427714. Now actions should follow words. #SaveRahaf #RahafAlQanun https://t.co/sei5pdli2r pic.twitter.com/G6Oc8j5E7K
— Andrew Stroehlein (@astroehlein) January 7, 2019
Ms Alqunun's ordeal began on Saturday night after officials in Thailand stopped her in transit from Kuwait.
She was denied entry into the country by Thai immigration officials, who deny accusations that she was detained at the behest of the Saudi government.
Although Ms Alqunun was due to leave Bangkok and be returned to her family on a Kuwait Airways flight, Human Rights Watch has said that the plane has now departed without her on board.
Late on Sunday, she had warned: "My brothers and family and the Saudi embassy will be waiting for me in Kuwait.
"They will kill me. My life is in danger. My family threatens to kill me for the most trivial things."
Oppression
Ms Alqunun has also claimed that her family has prevented her from continuing her education - and said she feels "oppressed" because she has not been allowed to drive or travel.
"I love life and work and I am very ambitious but my family is preventing me from living," she added.
Lawyers in Thailand have now filed an injunction with a Bangkok criminal court to prevent her deportation.
Saudi women have increasingly turned to social media to amplify their calls for help after running away from their families.
Dina Lasloom triggered a storm online in 2017 when she was stopped en route to Australia where she planned to seek asylum.
She was forced to return to Saudi Arabia and was not publicly heard from again, according to activists tracking her whereabouts.
Additional reporting: Jack Quann and IRN
