Al-Kontar has made the arrivals hall of KLIA2 in Sepang his home since March 7.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — Syrian refugee Hassan al-Kontar, who was arrested after making KLIA2 his home for seven months, will be deported to his home country soon after he refused assistance, Putrajaya has confirmed.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Azis Jamman reportedly said this was the government’s only option, as the 36-year-old man had declined assistance offered by other countries, including Malaysia.

“I was made to understand that there were countries which offered to help him, but he refused. He only wants to seek refuge in Canada,” he told Malaysiakini during a press conference after launching National Registration Day at the National Registration Department in Putrajaya.

According to the report, Azis said it “does not make sense” for the Malaysian government to allow him to continue staying at the airport when he has no intention to seek permanent refuge here.

He added the Syrian embassy had also tried to convince al-Kontar to return to his homeland but to no avail.

“He only wants Canada but I was told that Canada would take two years to accept him, probably due to some processes,” he said, without revealing which countries had offered to help Hassan.

It was reported that al-Kontar was detained by police on Monday for entering the airport’s restricted zone and that he would be handed over to Immigration once the police complete their investigation.

Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali confirmed the arrest and said that al-Kontar claimed he refused to return to Syria for fear of being conscripted into the army.

On Tuesday, KLIA district police chief Assistant Commissioner Zulkifli Adamshah told Malay Mail that the police were granted a 14-day remand following al-Kontar’s arrest under Section 6(1)(a) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, for not possessing a valid pass for lawful entry into Malaysia.

If convicted of the offence, he is staring at a possible maximum fine of RM10,000, and/or a prison sentence not exceeding five-years, and shall also be liable to whipping of not more than six strokes.

Al-Kontar has made the arrivals hall of KLIA2 in Sepang his home since March 7. He was stuck in transit as he overstayed his visa and was denied entry into the country.

Throughout his “stay”, he frequently videoblogged his daily life on Twitter and Facebook, catching the attention of both human rights groups and international media.