Malaysia: Syrian 'stuck in transit' in KL for more than a month

A 36-year-old Syrian has been stuck in transit in the Malaysian capital for more than a month, he said, in a case that echoes the Steven Spielberg movie, “The Terminal”. Stranded at KLIA2, Kuala Lumpur’s budget terminal, Hassan al Kontar has been posting videos blogs of his daily life on Twitter and Facebook that has attracted the attention of human rights groups and the media. Hassan, who said he had been living at the airport since March 7, fears arrest if sent back to Syria, where a civil war has been raging for seven years. US President Donald Trump warned this week of imminent military action in Syria over a suspected poison gas attack. “I am afraid of being deported to Syria, not because I’m a coward, not because I don’t know how to fight, but because I don’t believe in fighting,” he said. “I don’t want to be a killing machine, destroying my own home and harming my own people.” Malaysia’s immigration department and the airport did not respond to requests for comment. The UN refugee agency confirmed meeting Hassan, but said it could not comment on individual cases.<br/>