Unable to change his flight home, Lee Chi Lin decided to sleep at Perth Airport until his pre-booked flight on October 5. (Lee Chi Lin/news.au.com)
A Taiwanese tourist has finally left the country after spending a week surviving off bread and tuna at Perth Airport.
It is understood 24-year-old tourist Lee Chi Lin has been in Australia since July on a working visa.
Perth Now reported Lee was unable to find work in Western Australia, and he eventually ran out of money.
Unable to change his flight home, Lee decided to sleep at Perth Airport until his pre-booked flight on October 5.
Lee initially planned on sleeping in a park, but he said it was “too cold”.
He was living off bread, packet noodles and tuna and hadn’t slept properly or showered in a week, Perth Now reported.
The AFP noticed Lee on Friday morning during a patrol of the international airport and referred the issue to Australian Border Force, who liaised with the airline’s ground handlers, according to Perth Now.
Passenger services manager for Menzies Aviation, Kathryn Weeks, was able to sort out a flight home for Lee, just 24 hours after being notified of the situation.
“He said he was fine. He was very humble, well-spoken and was so thankful that I was trying to help him,” Weeks told Perth Now.
Weeks also praised all parties involved for working together, which resulted in a happy ending for Lee, who has now returned home.
“I feel so happy that I can go home quickly. I feel really good that I met good people who helped me get out of the airport,” he said.
Lee thanked all Australian people, saying “People in Australia are so nice and always treat other countries in a good way.”
Fun stories about food, relationships, the great outdoors and more.