A Saudi woman being held at Bangkok airport on Monday appealed for asylum and for other passengers to help protest her deportation, in desperate tweets from the hotel room where she barricaded herself.

Shortly after noon, it was confirmed by a source in Thai immigration that Rahaf had not boarded her scheduled deportation flight. 

Sunai Phasuk of Human Rights Watch was quoted by media as saying Rahaf had refused to leave her hotel room at the Miracle Transit Hotel, which was surrounded by police who were refusing to let anyone inside. UN officials were present, he reportedly said.

A stream of tweets, some with video apparently taken in her hotel room and many appealing for help from different countries, were still emerging on her official account at 1pm. Most appeared to be posted by another person with whom she was communicating.

Earlier, Thai immigration chief Surachate Hakparn said that Qunun was currently "waiting for boarding, our immigration officer and Saudi Arabian embassy officials are with her".

"She bought the ticket herself yesterday, she is waiting to board (the flight to) Saudi Arabia," he said of the Kuwait Airways flight to Kuwait due to depart at 11.15am.

Asked if she was seeking asylum, he said "we do not know but if anyone wants to seek asylum, they have to wait for those countries to reply".

The incident comes against the backdrop of intense scrutiny of Saudi Arabia over its investigation and handling of the shocking murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year, which has renewed criticism of the kingdom's rights record.

Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun told AFP she ran away from her family while travelling in Kuwait because they subjected her to physical and psychological abuse.

She said she had planned to travel to Australia and seek asylum there, and feared she would be killed if she was repatriated by Thai immigration officials who stopped her during transit on Sunday.

The 18-year-old said she was stopped by Saudi and Kuwaiti officials when she arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport and her travel document was forcibly taken from her, a claim backed by Human Rights Watch.

She tweeted that she was due to be deported on a Kuwait Airways flight to Kuwait due to depart at 11.15am.

"I ask the government of Thailand... to stop my deportation to Kuwait," she said on Twitter. "I ask the police in Thailand to start my asylum process."

In a sign of growing desperation during the night, Qunun posted video of her barricading her hotel room door with furniture.

If sent back, she said she will likely be imprisoned, and is "sure 100%" her family will kill her, she told AFP.

Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch said Qunun "faces grave harm if she is forced back to Saudi Arabia" and Thailand should allow her to see the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and apply for asylum.