KUALA LUMPUR – Hassan Al Kontar is a 37-year-old Syrian living at Kuala Lumpur International Airport for six months. Human rights defenders inside Malaysia have advised him not to seek asylum in the country because it’s not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.
Canadian volunteers are trying to bring Al Kontar to Canada under the refugee sponsorship program, but he may have to wait for up to two years. They’ve started an online petition.
This story aired on CBC The World this Weekend Sunday, Aug. 26, 2018.
Adam Bemma is a journalist, humanitarian, and media consultant based in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Adam Bemma 
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