At least 5 homeless people have been living in Kuala Lumpur International Airport

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian authorities discovered earlier this month that several homeless people have been living at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) for some time now.

The discovery came after an encounter with a woman who went viral online. A TikTok video from @raef_benzemi, posted on Dec 19 and since viewed 2.3 million times, showed the woman arguing with others at the airport, some of whom were reportedly airport staff.

@raef_benzemi

Airport tempat transit, bukan tempat hidup. Setahun duduk situ, dah mental dah ni. #mahb #klia #pdrmmalaysia #xyzbca #fyp

♬ original sound – Hijrah Route – Hijrah Route

Reports alleged that she had been living at KLIA over the past year, a claim that, according to The Star, the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) has looked into.

After the Dec 19 altercation, Kosmo! Online quoted that Deputy KLIA Police Chief Superintendent Albany Hamzah as saying that the woman had a mental health card and that she was brought to Kajang Hospital.

The Star added that the encounter with the woman began when she grew upset with some children who were playing in the airport terminal.

It also said the woman reportedly used KLIA’s free wifi and water and that she bathed and slept at the airport. She kept her belongings in suitcases at all times.

Homeless living at KLIA

On Dec 23, however, The Rakyat Post reported that there are at least five homeless people who have been living in KLIA, one of whom is the woman from the Dec 19 encounter. They are said to regularly use the bathrooms on the fourth floor for washing up and the seats in the terminal for sleeping. However, in order to avoid detention, they would also leave the airport and spend time in other places around the city.

The Rakyat Post added that questions about how the people have managed to stay undetected at KLIA for so long in spite of the checks conducted by the Malaysian Border Security Agency.

According to The Star, some netizens are calling for action from the authorities, given that the image of KLIA as a transit hub may be affected.

The plot sounds familiar

If you think you’ve heard this story before, it could be because of a hit Hollywood movie that was released in 2004 about a European man who lived at John F Kennedy Airport in New York. Although the authorities denied him entry into the US, he found that he could not return to his country because a coup had taken place.

The movie was based on the story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri, a refugee from Iran who lived in Terminal 1 of France’s Charles de Gaulle Airport from 1998 to 2006. Although France and Belgium offered him residency, he declined it. His family later said they believed he wanted to stay where he was. /TISG

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