Remember The Terminal, that movie where Tom Hanks lived in an airport and couldn’t leave? This is a little like that, but just without Tom Hanks.
The Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) recently discovered a group of almost 70 Turkish nationals – with the youngest being a six-month old baby – living for a month in the viewing gallery of KLIA.
The revelation came after three men from the group of squatters were arrested on September 30 for attempting to break into the airport’s satellite terminal through Level 4’s contact pier.
Following the arrests, police were led to find another 65 people, 21 of whom were children, living in the viewing gallery. Initial checks point to the group having made a home in KLIA for over a month.
Nicholas Cheng of The Star Online reports that the Turkish squatters have been placed under remand until October 15, and are being investigated under Section 6(1) of the Immigration Act.
The police are still trying to figure out how 68 people had lived in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport without them having noticed it.
Sepang deputy OCPD Superintendent Zaldino Zaludin said the group were probably dismissed as transiting passengers.
“They slept on cloth on the floor and bathed and changed in the toilets. At the airport, these things are a routine sight to us.
“They had money with them. The viewing gallery is a very big place – with toilets, prayer rooms and shops. If you have money, you can practically live there,” Supt Zaldino said.
He added that despite the unusual circumstances of the case, the squatters’ only real offence was that they had overstayed the terms of their visitation visa to Malaysia.
Police are now experiencing language issues in communicating with the detained squatters.
“Their embassy has been contacted and we are looking to refer this case to the Immigration Department soon,” Zaldino said.
On second thought, maybe Tom Hanks has lived in KLIA, it’s just that no one noticed.
