This Syrian Refugee Has Been Marooned in an Airport for a Month, With No End in Sight
Like Tom Hanks in “The Terminal”
Hassan Al Kontar is bored out of his mind. For more than a month, the 36-year-old Syrian national has been pacing the transit terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia, unable to enter the country or purchase a ticket to leave. Like Tom Hanks in “The Terminal,” he is camped out in the departures lounge with a neck pillow and an airplane blanket, while his homeland is wracked by war.
“I’ve started looking at the passengers — they’re all coming and going, but I’m stuck here,” Al Kontar told The Intercept over WhatsApp. In the background, an announcement echoed, calling travelers for an upcoming flight bound for Laos. It is one of the many flights that Al Kontar sees arriving and departing, but cannot take.
“I hear people shouting at the counter for delays of five or 10 minutes — and meanwhile, I have been here for 35 days,” he laughed darkly.
Al Kontar’s troubles first began seven years ago. He’d been working as an insurance marketing manager in Abu Dhabi for five years when his passport expired. Renewing a passport abroad is normally a routine experience, but in this case, the timing was all wrong. It was…
