Syria refugee, stranded in KL airport for months, lands in Canada

A Syrian man who spent nearly 10 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.

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