Refugee: Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, who claimed she was abused by her family and feared for her life if deported back from Thailand has arrived in Canada after she was granted asylum.
News agencies reported that Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland welcomed her at the airport in Toronto on Saturday as pictures were circulated on Twitter.
Ms Qunun, user of the Twitter account @rahaf84427714, posted pictures of herself on the plane with a Saudi passport. On Saturday she also posted pictures of people welcoming her at Toronto's airport.
Ms Qunun captured international attention last week when she locked herself in a Bangkok airport hotel room on Jan 6 to avoid being sent home to her family after her entry to Thailand was refused. She used Twitter as a platform to seek help.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) officials escorted her to Suvarnabhumi airport on Friday evening where she was placed in the care of Canadian authorities.
Dept throws out dope extract bids
trade: The Intellectual Property Department has thrown out three requests for patents of marijuana extract, saying they failed to satisfy the necessary criteria.
Department chief Thosapone Dansuputra said the requests pertained to extracts which were not considered to be new innovations.
However, the parties who filed the requests may appeal the department's decision and resubmit the requests. If the department stands by its decision, the parties can petition the Intellectual Property and International Trade Court.
The Commerce Ministry said earlier that it planned to invite various agencies to attend a discussion on the matter. The ministry was asked about the impact of granting patents to develop marijuana for medical purposes.
The concerns were raised after the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) passed a bill to legalise the controlled production, import and use of marijuana and kratom for medical and research purposes, which many feared will benefit large, foreign pharmaceutical companies.
National artist Kowit dies, 81
culture: National Artist laureate Kowit Anekachai, or Khemananda, whose works are known for their deep insights into human nature, the value of spirituality and Thai culture, has died of a lung infection in Chiang Rai. He was 81.
The prolific writer produced poems, stories and novels that are in line with his spiritual pursuits, according to people close to him.
Born in Sathing Phra, Songkhla province, Kowit studied in Bangkok, where he graduated from Silpakorn University in 1964. After a two-year stint as an art teacher, he entered monkhood at the famed Suan Mokkh monastery in Surat Thani, founded by the late Buddhadasa Bhikkhu.
Kowit's pieces were written with a distinct literary style that blends Buddhist wisdom with Thai art. He wrote more than 60 books under different pseudonyms, including Khemananda, Rung Arun, Na Sonthaya and Chab-phong.
French man found dead
SONGKHLA: A male French national was found dead in a guesthouse in Hat Yai district of this southern province yesterday. The cause of death is being investigated, police said.
A team of police and doctors from Hat Yai Hospital went to the guesthouse on Nipat Uthis 2 road in the middle of Hat Yai's business area after being alerted about the man's death about noon.
The man's naked body was lying on the bed. No traces of an altercation were found. His passport identified him as Patrick Andre Marie, 64. The man, a regular customer, checked in on Jan 8.