72-hour transit limit for airport passengers mooted

SEPANG: A proposal is in the works to restrict travellers’ transit period to 72 hours at the international zones of the KL International Airport (KLIA) and KL International Airport 2 (klia2) to prevent them from overstaying.

The recommendation was made at a meeting attended by the police, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) and the National Security Division, said KLIA district police chief Assistant Commissioner of Police Zulkifli Adamsah.

He said the proposal was mooted following the arrest of a Syrian man, Hassan Al-Kontar, on Oct 1 for having stayed at the klia2 restricted zone since March.

According to the proposal, any transit passenger who stayed longer than 72 hours would be arrested by the Immigration Department as no one was accorded immunity in the area, he said, adding that police would take action when no other agency assumed responsibility.

“The international zones at KLIA and klia2 do not give any immunity to transit passengers. It does not mean that Malaysian authorities cannot act in the event a crime occurs there,” he said after an assembly to mark the first anniversary of the KLIA district police headquarters here yesterday.

Between Jan 1 and Oct 15, only Hassan was arrested for having overstayed illegally at the airport restricted zone, he said.

He said Hassan, 36, was handed over to the Immigration authorities on Oct 5.

He said Hassan had tried to enter Cambodia but the country listed him as “not to land” and he was sent back to the last destination before Cambodia, which was Kuala Lumpur.

Hassan claimed that he stayed at klia2 since March 7 because he feared he would be arrested if he returned to Syria. He said he did not wish to return to Syria for fear that he would be forced to join the military.

During his stay at the airport, he had posted video clips about his experience on social media, which gained the attention of human rights groups and international media.