VIDEO: Syrian refugee stuck in transit in Malaysia airport for 45 days; it’s a real-life Tom Hanks from The Terminal

In what seems to be a real-life version of Tom Hank's The Terminal, Hassan Al Kontar, a 36-year-old Syrian refugee, has been stuck in the transit zone of Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia for around 45 days. He has been trying to draw attention to his plight by tweeting, but to little avail.

Syrian refugee, Hassan Al Kontar, syrian refugee stuck in Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia, surian refugee stuck in Malaysian airport, Al Kontar stuck in Malaysian airport, The Terminal tom hanks

This 36-year-old Syrian refugee is stuck in Malaysian airport for almost 50 days now. (Source: Hassan Al Kontar/Twitter)

Do you remember Tom Hanks’ movie The Terminal wherein his character Viktor Navorski is forced by the officials to stay at an airport until his “real” identity is confirmed. This scene happens when a war rages in Navorski’s country, something which Hassan Al Kontar can totally relate to. The 36-year-old Syrian refugee is facing the same problem, not in some movie but in real life. Reportedly, Hassan Al Kontar has been stuck in the transit zone of Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia for around 45 days. He has been posting stories of his plight on social media, asking for help. He’s even tagged Tom Hanks and called his plight ‘The Terminal 2’ in several of his tweets.

In a video to VICE, he said he occasionally splurges on a coffee brought to him by airport cleaners and sleeps on the floor as the airport has become his home now. “I sleep either on the floor or on uncomfortable chairs. I don’t have a clean set of clothes nor do I get to have a proper shower,” he told ABC News. “I depend on three (AirAsia)-provided prepackaged rice and chicken meals a day (for food).”

To those who sent me what do I think about temporary solutions.
I thank you.

FYI: I believe in humanity no matter what your religious, colour, Ethnicity so to those who say I am maybe a terrorist or ISIS. Well i am sorry to inform you that Iam belong to minority.
Thanks
Hassan pic.twitter.com/zxPb77ze0I

— Hassan Al Kontar (@Kontar81) April 13, 2018

What is it with #media! I am not a political tool or a scoop, it doesn’t matter how I sleep, it’s about human rights and dignity
لا أعلم ما الذي يحاول الإعلام فعله لكني لست أداة سياسية
القصة إنسانية وتمثل كثير من السوريين
لايهم كيف انام، هي قصة كرامة إنسان والحد الأدنى من حقوقه pic.twitter.com/2MoQB4IWNg

— Hassan Al Kontar (@Kontar81) April 23, 2018

Al Kontar had left his home in the south of Damascus, Syria, in 2006, to avoid compulsory military service and seek a more prosperous life in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he got a resident permit and a job in insurance company till 2011. After that, the Syrian civil war started and coincidently his passport expired too. In an interview to VICE, he says the Syrian embassy in the UAE had refused to renew his travel document and, hence, his resident visa was also not reissued.

Story continues below this ad

Still, Al Kontar did not return to his country as by then the war was in full swing, and he knew if he went back he would be forced to rejoin the army, which he didn’t want to. “My father died in Syria in late 2016 and I could not even go back to his funeral because I was wanted there. I did not want to fight for the Syrian army. And I still will not as I do not want to kill my own brothers and destroy my country,” he told ABC News.

Please note that I don’t have any PayPal/ bank account in Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
There is only one page gofoundme run by volunteers.
Please don’t fall into this.
رجاء انتبهوا البعض يحاول تحصيل أموال عن طريق حسابات مزورة في تويتر فيس بوك وانستغرام . لا أملك أي حساب بنكي pic.twitter.com/jWPuKR0YpL

— Hassan Al Kontar (@Kontar81) April 23, 2018

حتى في أحلامي اكون هارب او مختبئ من شيء ما او شخص يحاول امساكي.
لم تكن افضل ليلة لي هنا بسبب الكوابيس. 😂
حتى القهوة وفيروز لن تستطيع تعديل المزاج لهذا الصباح.😓#syrian_stuck_at_airport #mystory_Hassan #airport_is_my_home #سوري_عالق_بمطار_كوالالمبور_الدولي pic.twitter.com/y8XpqWyiCo

— Hassan Al Kontar (@Kontar81) April 23, 2018

#syrian_stuck_at_airport #mystory_Hassan #airport_is_my_home #the_terminal_movie_2 #سوري_عالق_بمطار_كوالالمبور_الدولي pic.twitter.com/fVCgroKeH9

— Hassan Al Kontar (@Kontar81) April 22, 2018

Its not only my personal story, it’s the story of each kid, mother, father, brother and sister is Syria who just want this war to stop no matter what.
It’s not a political story to win or lose the “thron”..it just a human story where everybody deserve to live in peace pic.twitter.com/Td4irdHKgt

— Hassan Al Kontar (@Kontar81) April 21, 2018

Later on, he surrendered to UAE authorities and was expelled from the country in October of 2017. The UAE officials paid for his plane ticket to Malaysia, one of the few countries that grant Syrian refugees, free visa and a three-month stay in their country. After three months, he had planned to fly to Cambodia, another country Syrians are theoretically able to enter, with the little money he had left. But he was turned away at the Phnom Penh International Airport, so he boarded a flight back to Malaysia, courtesy of AirAsia as it was his last option since he had ruled out returning to Syria. Since then, he has been stuck in the transit zone of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia.

International bodies such as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have reportedly said they will try and help Al Kontar.