Hassan Al Kontar

Hassan Al Kontar (born in 1981; Arabic: حسان القنطار) is a Syrian refugee who was stranded at Kuala Lumpur International Airport from 7 March 2018 until his arrest on 1 October 2018.[2][3][4] He has been in exile from Syria since 2011 because of his refusal to join the Syrian military[5] and could face arrest if returned there.[6] He currently resides in Canada.[7]

Hassan Al Kontar
حسان القنطار
Born1981 (age 38–39)[1]
Al-Suweida, Syria
NationalitySyrian
OccupationInsurance marketing manager (2006-12)

His plight has been compared to Tom Hanks's character in the film The Terminal,[8] who was inspired by the real-life story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri who lived in France's Charles de Gaulle Airport for 18 years. According to CNN's Becky Anderson, his situation is not "unprecedented" and could become a more common problem for Syrian refugees because many countries will not accept Syrian nationals.[9]

Background

Al Kontar was born in Al-Suweida, Syria to a Druze family.[10] He has two siblings; his father was a mechanical engineer and his mother, a nurse.[1] He originally emigrated from Syria to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2006, to work as an insurance marketing agent.[11] His work permit expired in 2011, the year the Syrian Civil War started. After the Syrian embassy refused to renew his passport, Al Kontar stayed illegally in the UAE fearing he would be drafted into the war on his return. In 2017, he was arrested and deported to Malaysia, one of the countries where Syrians are granted visa-free entry. He attempted to go to Ecuador but, for unexplained reasons, Turkish Airlines staff denied him boarding for his flight nor would they refund his ticket. He then attempted to go to Cambodia but was denied entry,[12] and sent back to Kuala Lumpur. As his Malaysian tourist visa had expired,[13] he was not allowed to enter the country and remained stranded at the airport in "legal limbo". Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and he claimed that he would not be recognized as a legitimate refugee although there are in fact many Syrian refugees in the country.[14][15]

Life at the airport
Kuala Lumpur International Airport

Al Kontar slept on chairs or under a stairwell, showered in a disabled toilet and was fed by some airport staff (mostly from AirAsia) who gave him meals.[10][16] Though his savings dwindled,[17] people offered him money and a woman living in British Columbia started a fundraiser in order to possibly sponsor him to Canada and have enough money to live for at least a year. He has family members in Canada.[18] The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has been trying to provide legal aid.[19]

During his 100th day at the airport in June 2018, he jokingly decided to apply to join a NASA mission to Mars, saying that if he actually had the opportunity to leave Earth and the worst parts of humanity, he would.[20]

On 1 October 2018, he was detained by the police for being in a "forbidden area" of the airport. Malaysia's immigration chief, Mustafar Ali, said they would "communicate with the Syrian embassy to facilitate deportation to his home country."[21] However, Malaysian immigration director-general Mustafar Ali announced that Al Kontar would be sent to an undisclosed third country as the discussion and arrangement is being processed together with the foreign mission in Malaysia.[22] Al Kontar was held in a detention facility for 58 days before the Canadian asylum application was expedited for him.[23]

Asylum in Canada

On 26 November 2018, Al Kontar landed at Vancouver International Airport as a permanent resident of Canada and is expected to start a job in Whistler, British Columbia.[24][7] Al Kontar had been privately sponsored for asylum in Canada; he lives with the family of one of his sponsors, media relations consultant Laurie Cooper. Cooper has helped over 30 refugees settle in Canada.[10] Al Kontar currently speaks at events about human rights and works at a restaurant.[25]

As of August 2019, Al Kontar is currently organizing a refugee resettlement program called Operation Not Forgotten, sponsored by the Refugee Council of Australia and Amnesty International, which they plan to raise a total of C$3.3 million to resettle refugees stranded in Nauru and Manus Island into Canada. These refugees are from countries including Iran, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Iraq, while some are stateless.[26]

References
  1. Amer, Yasmin (16 April 2019). "A Man Was Stuck In An Airport For Months — But A Stranger Became Determined To Get Him Out". WBUR-FM.
  2. Latiff, Rozanna; Teo, Angie (12 April 2018). "Holding pattern: Syrian 'stuck in transit' in KL for more than a month". Reuters.
  3. Ahmed, Kaamil (12 April 2018). "'It's not my war': the Syrian man who has spent a month living in Kuala Lumpur airport". The Guardian.
  4. Hennig, Clare (2 January 2019). "'I will always be the man who was stuck at the airport': Refugee wants to help others". CBC. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  5. Perper, Rosie (13 April 2018). "A Syrian man has been trapped in an airport in Malaysia for over a month with nowhere to go". Business Insider.
  6. Chen, Heather (12 April 2018). "Syrian 'stranded at airport' for 37 days". BBC.
  7. "Syrian refugee stranded in airport for months is granted asylum in Canada". The Guardian. 26 November 2018.
  8. "Syrian refugee stuck in Malaysia airport for nearly 50 days". ABC News. 24 April 2018.
  9. "Syrian man trapped in airport for over 40 days (video)". CNN. 24 April 2018.
  10. Hodal, Kate (7 January 2019). "'You can feel the love': Syrian who lived in airport on new life in Canada". The Guardian.
  11. Miller, Anna Lekas (13 April 2018). "The Terminal: This Syrian Refugee Has Been Marooned in an Airport for a Month, With No End in Sight". The Intercept.
  12. Vichea, Pang (12 April 2018). "Syrian asylum seeker stuck in airport limbo after being denied entry to Cambodia". The Phnom Penh Post.
  13. Erickson, Amanda (12 April 2018). "A Syrian man has been trapped in a Malaysian airport for 37 days, and counting". The Washington Post.
  14. Palansamy, Yiswaree (12 March 2015). "Malaysia will not sign UN convention on refugees, says minister". Malaymail.com.
  15. Carson, Angela (20 April 2018). "'I don't want to be killed': Syrian refugee stuck in Kuala Lumpur airport seeks safety" – via asiancorrespondent.com.
  16. Eustachewich, Lia (12 April 2018). "Syrian man stranded at airport for more than a month". New York Post.
  17. Mosbergen, Dominique (14 April 2018). "A Syrian Man Has Been Stranded In A Malaysian Airport Terminal For Weeks" – via Huff Post.
  18. "Syrian stranded at Malaysia airport says Canadians renewed his hope in humanity". CBC Radio. 13 April 2018.
  19. Robbins, Siobhan (12 April 2018). "Syrian stranded at Malaysian airport for a month". Sky News.
  20. "Syrian refugee trapped in airport for 100 days formally applies to go to Mars". Newsweek. 14 June 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  21. "Syrian Hassan al-Kontar removed from Malaysia airport after months". BBC. 1 October 2018.
  22. Bedi, Rashvinjeet S. (24 October 2018). "Stranded Syrian be sent to another country, but not Syria (Updated)". The Star Online.
  23. Talmazan, Yuliya (25 January 2019). "Syrian stranded for months at Malaysian airport gets fresh start in Canada". NBC News.
  24. "Syrian man stranded for months at airport in Malaysia arrives in Vancouver". Vancouver Sun. 26 November 2018.
  25. Sciarpelletti, Laura (20 June 2019). "Syrian refugee says Canada's support for the displaced is more important than ever". CBC.
  26. "Hassan al-Kontar: Who is the man trapped in an airport helping now?". BBC. 12 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
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