2111186 (Refugee)

The applicant sought a protection visa, claiming a well-founded fear of persecution in Thailand due to pressure from her former boss to engage in prostitution, threats, harassment, and attempted molestation. The dispute before the Tribunal was whether the applicant met the criteria for a protection visa, either under the refugee convention or complementary protection.

The Tribunal was required to determine if the applicant had a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, and if there was a real chance of persecution or suffering significant harm upon return to Thailand. The Tribunal also had to consider whether the applicant met the complementary protection criteria, which involve a real risk of suffering significant harm as a necessary and foreseeable consequence of removal from Australia.

The Tribunal noted that it had made several efforts to invite the applicant to provide further information regarding her claims, including specific requests for details about the harassment, threats, and abuse, as well as the possibility of relocating within Thailand. Despite these invitations, the applicant did not respond to these requests or provide any further information. Consequently, the Tribunal concluded that it did not have sufficient information to find that the applicant met the criteria for a protection visa.

The Tribunal affirmed the decision not to grant the applicant a protection visa.