Wednesday, March 22, 2023
British Herald
Advertisement
  • Home
  • World
    • UK
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Oceania
    • USA
    • Middle East
    • Latin America
  • Politics
  • Business
    • ECONOMY
    • Financial Markets
    • Companies
  • Sport
  • Fintech
  • Videos
  • Coffee Table Book
  • BH Magazine
  • More
    • Health
    • Entertainment
    • Science & Technology
    • Climate & Environment
    • Sustainability
    • Food and Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture and Lifestyle
    • Articles
    • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
British Herald
  • Home
  • World
    • UK
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Oceania
    • USA
    • Middle East
    • Latin America
  • Politics
  • Business
    • ECONOMY
    • Financial Markets
    • Companies
  • Sport
  • Fintech
  • Videos
  • Coffee Table Book
  • BH Magazine
  • More
    • Health
    • Entertainment
    • Science & Technology
    • Climate & Environment
    • Sustainability
    • Food and Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture and Lifestyle
    • Articles
    • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
British Herald
Home World Middle East

Syrian refugee, stranded seven months in Malaysia airport, lands in Canada

Editorial Bureau by Editorial Bureau
November 28, 2018
0
Syrian refugee, stranded seven months in Malaysia airport, lands in Canada

Syrian refugee Hassan Al Kontar sits in his "office" at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, where he was stranded for seven months, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, August 3, 2018. Courtesy of Hassan Al Kontar/Handout via REUTERS

74
SHARES
1.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

TORONTO (Reuters) – A Syrian man who spent seven months stranded in a Malaysian airport arrived in Canada this week, ending a months-long ordeal that highlighted asylum seekers’ often bizarre quest for refuge.

You might also like

Former Israeli premier urges world leaders to shun Netanyahu

6 Palestinians killed during Israel military raid in Westbank

Qatar’s top diplomat is sworn in as new prime minister

Hassan Al Kontar got stuck in Kuala Lumpur International Airport in March after his Malaysian tourist visa expired and he was not allowed to board a flight to another country.

Kontar, 37, who left Syria before that country’s civil war erupted in 2011, had worked in the United Arab Emirates for several years but had to leave after his visa ran out. He said he could not return to his homeland because he refused to serve in the military.

During his months in Terminal 2 of the Kuala Lumpur airport, he lived off airline meals while trying to find a country that would give him a visa and documenting his travails to thousands of followers online.

He showed himself knitting, and celebrated when the sun peeked through the window or when, momentarily, a few fluorescent lights went off.

Documenting his ordeal “was a need,” he told Reuters by phone on Tuesday, because people “are in the dark when it comes to the refugee crisis.”

His plight caught the eye of Canadians who sought to privately sponsor him as a refugee.

“When we noticed he had this issue, he was stranded in the Malaysian airport and no place to go, nobody is accepting him, I offered: ‘We have space. We can bring him in to sponsor him,'” said Shawkat Hassan, with British Columbia’s Muslim Association, which helped sponsor Kontar.

The paperwork took months. During that time, Kontar was taken into Malaysian immigration detention and threatened with deportation to Syria.

On Monday night, he arrived at Vancouver International Airport wearing flip-flops and a T-shirt. He became a permanent resident on landing in Canada because the country had already recognised him as a refugee.

His sponsor, Laurie Cooper, drove him to her home in Whistler, British Columbia, where he is staying until he gets his bearings.

Kontar said he had been too excited since his arrival to sleep.

“In real life, there are moments that are more beautiful than the dream itself.”

He said the first thing he did on stepping out of the Vancouver airport into the rain was to breathe in his new surroundings.

“For me, walking on the street again and smelling the fresh air, it’s not a normal thing: It’s the sound and smell of freedom.”

(Reporting by Anna Mehler Paperny; Editing by Richard Chang and Peter Cooney)

Share30Tweet19
Editorial Bureau

Editorial Bureau

Recommended For You

Former Israeli premier urges world leaders to shun Netanyahu

March 17, 2023
Netanyahu

On Thursday, Israel's former prime minister urged global leaders to avoid the country's current leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, as he moves forward with a plan to reform the justice...

Read more

6 Palestinians killed during Israel military raid in Westbank

March 8, 2023
Palestinians inspect the site of a damaged building following an Israeli forces raid

The Israeli army raided a home in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, triggering a battle that killed at least six Palestinians and wounded...

Read more

Qatar’s top diplomat is sworn in as new prime minister

March 7, 2023
Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, appoints the holders of top offices, usually from members of the ruling family.

Qatar’s top diplomat was sworn in as the country’s prime minister on Tuesday, replacing another member of the ruling family who had held the post since 2020, state...

Read more

Netanyahu denounces protesters after salon siege of his wife

March 2, 2023
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara gesture

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies on Thursday denounced protesters as “anarchists” after they massed outside a Tel Aviv salon where his wife was getting her hair...

Read more

Uranium particles enriched to 83.7% found in Iran: UN Report

March 1, 2023
Uranium particles enriched to 83.7% found in Iran

Inspectors from the United Nations nuclear watchdog found uranium particles enriched up to 83.7% in Iran’s underground Fordo nuclear site, a report by The Associated Press said Tuesday....

Read more
No Result
View All Result
China’s Xi, Japan’s Kishida end visits to Russia and Ukraine

Xi and Kishida end their visit to Russia and Ukraine

March 22, 2023
Protest in France

The French continue to protest

March 22, 2023
TradeBridge

TradeBridge received a credit facility of up to £100m

March 22, 2023

Tags

amazon australia boris johnson brexit britain British Herald CHINA Coronavirus coronavirus cases coronavirus outbreak COVID-19 COVID-19 Vaccine daily roundup Donald Trump Dubai expo 2020 england European Union facebook France germany Hong Kong ICC Men's T20 india iran israel italy japan joe biden lockdown London new zealand north korea Rishi Sunak russia south korea spain T20 T20 World Cup taiwan thailand Trump turkey UK Ukraine usa
British Herald

Top News in World: Read Latest News on Sports, Business, Entertainment, Blogs and Opinions from leading columnists.

CATEGORIES

  • Africa
  • Articles
  • Asia
  • Brand Feature
  • Business
  • Climate & Environment
  • Companies
  • Crypto
  • Culture and Lifestyle
  • Daily Roundup
  • Economics
  • ECONOMY
  • edel
  • Entertainment
  • Europe
  • Fashion
  • Finance
  • Financial Markets
  • Fintech
  • Health
  • IN UK 01
  • IN UK 02
  • Investing
  • Latin America
  • Market
  • Middle East
  • nsp
  • Oceania
  • Opinion
  • Pharma/BioTech
  • Politics
  • Reviews
  • Science & Technology
  • Sport
  • Sustainability
  • Tech
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • UK
  • Uncategorized
  • USA
  • Videos
  • World

BROWSE BY TAGS

amazon australia boris johnson brexit britain British Herald CHINA Coronavirus coronavirus cases coronavirus outbreak COVID-19 COVID-19 Vaccine daily roundup Donald Trump Dubai expo 2020 england European Union facebook France germany Hong Kong ICC Men's T20 india iran israel italy japan joe biden lockdown London new zealand north korea Rishi Sunak russia south korea spain T20 T20 World Cup taiwan thailand Trump turkey UK Ukraine usa

Herald Media Network Limited (UK). 2023. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World
    • UK
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Oceania
    • USA
    • Middle East
    • Latin America
  • Politics
  • Business
    • ECONOMY
    • Financial Markets
    • Companies
  • Sport
  • Fintech
  • Videos
  • Coffee Table Book
  • BH Magazine
  • More
    • Health
    • Entertainment
    • Science & Technology
    • Climate & Environment
    • Sustainability
    • Food and Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture and Lifestyle
    • Articles
    • Opinion

Herald Media Network Limited (UK). 2023. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?