After living in airport, Syrian refugee granted asylum in Canada
Image: Instagram/@hassan_alkontar
Syrian refugee Hassan Al Kontar was recently granted asylum in Canada after being stranded and living in Kuala Lumpur’s airport for nearly a year. Al Kontar, since last February, has made the airport his home after he was barred from boarding a flight to Ecuador, and by turns denied to come to Malaysia and Cambodia.
Al Kontar was unable to reach Malaysia after overstaying his visa in the country. With nowhere left to go, he resorted to sleeping on the floor of the airport, keeping with him his essentials such as a blanket. As per The Guardian on Nov. 26, he took his showers in a disabled restroom and relied on the goodwill of airport staff when it came to his daily meals.
But things have turned for the better for Al Kontar, who took to his Twitter and Instagram accounts yesterday, Nov. 26, to tell his thousands of supporters that he was on his way to his final destination — Vancouver, Canada.
“For today I’m in Taiwan International Airport for tomorrow I will be reaching my final destination, Vancouver, Canada,” Al Kontar said to the camera. “For the last eight years it was a hard, long journey and the last ten months it was very hard of course, I could not do it without the support and prayers from all of you.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqpT69Lg92D/
Al Kontar extended his gratitude to all those who helped him in his ordeal, such as his family and Canadian friends, as well as his lawyer.
“Thank you all, I love you all,” he said. “I will keep you updated. Let’s keep the prayers for those who still need it the most, in refugee camps all over the world. I hope they will be safe and legal as soon as possible too.”
Al Kontar, as per various reports, left his home country Syria out of his unwillingness to serve in the mandatory military service. He refused to return after the Syrian civil war broke out, saying in the past that it was not his war to fight. Cody Cepeda/JB
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