Syrian stranded at Malaysian airport threatened with deportation back to Syria

A Syrian man who has been stranded at a Malaysian airport for more than six months has been detained by police and could face deportation back to Syria, where he fears arrest or forced military conscription.

Malaysia's head of immigration said officials and police will work with the Syrian embassy to deport Hassan al-Kontar back to his home country.

"Passengers at the boarding area are supposed to get on their flights but this man [Kontar] did not do so. He is situated in a forbidden zone and we had to take the necessary action," said Mustafar Ali, Malaysia's immigration chief, according to BBC.

"We will then communicate with the Syrian embassy to facilitate deportation to his home country."

Kontar has been living in Kuala Lumpur International Airport for nearly seven months, after he was denied entry into Malaysia after overstaying his visa.

His passport has less than six months before it expires, making his situation even more vulnerable for the Syrian.

Kontar was working in the UAE in 2011, and was unable to renew his passport. With war at home, he was forced to stay in the country illegally until he was arrested by Emirati authorities in 2016.

He obtained a new passport and entered Malaysia, one of the few countries to give Syrians visas on arrival.

However, Kuala Lumpa does not grant asylum status to Syrians and views them those who outstay their visas as illegal migrants with few or no legal protections.

He was turned back when trying to board a plane to Turkey as his passport expired.

Kontar then went to Cambodia but was sent back to Malaysia where he was again denied entry. 

Stranded in the Malaysian capital's airport he has unsuccessfully sought asylum in a number of countries, including Cambodia and Ecuador.

Activists have been working on getting the 36-year-old native of Suweida, in southern Syria, asylum in Canada.

On Tuesday, the BBC reported that Kontar had been place in police custody with Malaysian authorities and that he would be referred to the immigration department after police finished questioning the Syrian.

Kontar would likely be conscripted into the military or face detention in the country's notorious prisons if he is returned to Syria.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is in contact with Kuala Lumpur to prevent the deportation, according to Canadian media.

Efforts by The New Arab to contact Kontar have been unsuccessful.