There is a proposal to set a 72-hour limit in transit period for passengers at the international zones of KLIA and KLIA2, to prevent foreigners from making the zone their "home".

The recommendation was made at a recent meeting attended by the police, Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd  and the National Security Division, said KLIA District Police chief Zulkifli Adamsah.

He said the proposal was made in the wake of the police arrest of a Syrian man, Hassan Al-Kontar, on Oct 1 for remaining at the Klia2 restricted zone since March this year.

According to the proposal, any transit passenger who stays longer than 72 hours would be arrested by the Immigration Department as no one is accorded immunity in the area, he said, adding that if no agency wants to act, then the police will do so.

“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 to reporters after an assembly to mark the first anniversary of the KLIA District Police headquarters in Sepang today.

According to records, between Jan 1 and Oct 15 this year, Hassan was the only one arrested for overstaying illegally in the airport restricted zone, he said.

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

He said Hassan had earlier tried to enter Cambodia but the country accorded him the "not to land" status and he was sent back to his last destination before Cambodia, which is Kuala Lumpur.

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

During his ‘stay’ at the airport, he had posted several video clips on his life there on his social media accounts, garnering attention of human rights groups and international media.

- Bernama