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Consulate General of Malaysia, Chennai

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The Consulate General of Malaysia for Southern India is one of the three missions of Malaysia in India focusing on Malaysian interests in the region. It is located in Chennai and its jurisdiction includes the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and the union territory of Puducherry. The other two are the Malaysian High Commission in New Delhi and the Consulate General of Malaysia in Mumbai, in addition to an honorary office in Kolkata.[1] The current Consul General of the Chennai Consulate is Saravana Kumar Kumaravasagam.

Consulate General of Malaysia for Southern India
Consulate General of Malaysia, Chennai
மலேசியத் துணைதூதரகம், சென்னை
Incumbent
Saravana Kumar Kumaravasagam
since November 2022
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
StyleConsul General
Inaugural holderT. H. Yogaratnam
Formation1961
WebsiteOfficial website

Location of agencies

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The Office of the Consulate General of Malaysia is located at No.7 (Old 3) Cenotaph Road 1st Street, Teynampet. Other offices operating under the Consulate General are Immigration agency, the Education and Training section (Public Services Department) and the Ministry of Human Resources. The Tourism Malaysia agency functions at 4 Kodambakkam High Road, Nungambakkam. The MATRADE office—the office of the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation, the national trade promotion agency of Malaysia—operates from 554 and 555, Anna Salai, Teynampet. The Malaysian Airlines functions from Temple Tower No.672, Anna Salai, Nandanam.

History

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The Consulate General of Malaysia for Southern India in Chennai was established in 1961 as the Office of the Assistant High Commissioner for Malaysia in Chennai. The mission in Chennai is considered one of the first few Malaysian diplomatic missions established abroad following the establishment of Indian diplomatic relations with the Federation of Malaya (predecessor state of Malaysia) in 1957.[2] and the Independence of Malaysia in the same year.[3]

In November 2004, the Chennai mission was upgraded as the Consulate General of Malaysia for Southern India in Chennai by the Government of Malaysia through the notification issued by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs on 8 November 2004 in order to cater to the greater interests of Malaysia in the region by optimizing the role of the mission.[citation needed]

List of Assistant High Commissioners/Consuls General

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Until the upgradation in 2004 as the Consulate General, the mission had Assistant High Commissioners heading it. Since 2004, the mission is being led by consuls general. Below is the list of Assistant High Commissioners/Consuls General of the Consulate General of Malaysia in Chennai:[4]

Assistant high commissioners
  1. T. H. Yogaratnam (1961–1964)
  2. Razali Ismail (1964–1966)
  3. Anaitullah B. Karim (1966–1969)
  4. Alfred Kumarasari (1970–1972)
  5. Kon Song Chee (1973 (6 months))
  6. Dominic Mathews (1973–1974)
  7. Low Tiam Kit (1974–1976)
  8. Tuan Hj. Gulam Haniff (1976–1979)
  9. Marzuki Mohd Noor (1980–1982)
  10. Fauzi Yon (1982–1985)
  11. Abdul Latif Awang (1985–1988)
  12. Mahalil Hj. Baharam (1988–1992)
  13. Shafie Abu Samah (1992–1996)
  14. Ismail Ahmad (1997)
  15. Mazlan Muhammad (1997–2001)
  16. Y. M. Raja Ahmad Raja Daud (2001–2004)
Consuls general
  1. Rosli B. Ismail (2004–2007)
  2. Anuar Kasman (22 April 2008 – 2012)
  3. Chitra Devi Ramiah (2012 – January 2016)
  4. Ahmad Fajarazam bin Abdul Jalil (January 2016 – August 2017)
  5. Saravanan Karathihayan (January 2018 – November 2022)
  6. Saravana Kumar Kumaravasagam (November 2022 – present)

Mission statement

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The stated mission of the Consulate General of Malaysia in Chennai is as follows:[5]

  • Uphold the country's sovereignty and promote universal peace
  • Foster friendly relations with foreign countries
  • Develop and protect Malaysia's interests in the regional and international arena
  • Ensure the safety and interests of Malaysians abroad
  • Extend excellent and efficient services to the Ministry's stakeholders both locally and abroad

Functions

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The mission is headed by 18 diplomatic officers assigned by the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. With the expansion to include various core areas, the office of the Consulate General is assisted by several agencies under the umbrella of the Consulate General to execute specific duties:

Agency function Department Year of establishment
Immigration and Consular Affairs Department of Immigration, Malaysia 1983
Promoting Malaysia as a Tourist Destination Tourism Malaysia under the Ministry of Tourism 2001
Promoting Bilateral Trade Malaysian Trade and Development office (MATRADE) 2004
Education and Training Counsellor of Education and Training Office, Public Service Department 2008
Labour Relations Ministry of Human Resource 2009

Along with the Malaysian High Commission in New Delhi, the Consulate General in Chennai processes visa applications from Indian visitors.[6] As of 2009, the Consulate General in Chennai issues more than 350 visas a day, including employment and tourist visas.[7] The visa application centre in Chennai was established in 2011. Other visa applications centres are in Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad.[8]

PERWAKILAN Chennai

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The Ladies Association of the Consulate General of Malaysia in Chennai is known as PERWAKILAN Chennai. PERWAKILAN is an acronym of "Persatuan Wanita Kementerian Luar Negeri" meaning the "Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ladies Association". It is a voluntary non-profit organization and was established following the establishment of the Consulate General. It is currently chaired by Mrs Visalakshi Suparamaiam, wife of the Consul General. Membership is automatically opened to wives of home-based staff of the Malaysian Consulate General Office and Malaysian Governmental Agencies in Chennai.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Wan Zaidi Wan Abdullah, Consul General of Malaysia". Express Travel World. 1–15 January 2010. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
  2. ^ "India-Malaysia Relations" (pdf). Ministry of External Affairs, India. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
  3. ^ "Corporate Information—History". Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  4. ^ "Head of Mission". Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia. n.d. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  5. ^ "Corporate Information—Mission Statement". Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia. Archived from the original on 31 December 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  6. ^ "Malaysian High Commission goes online". Thaindian News. New Delhi: Thaindian.com. 6 August 2008. Archived from the original on 11 June 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  7. ^ George, Daniel P. (20 October 2009). "Malaysian consulate warns against job scams". The Times of India. Chennai. Archived from the original on 17 September 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  8. ^ "Malaysian visa office to open today". The Telegraph. Kolkata: The Telegraph, Calcutta. 11 May 2011. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
  9. ^ "About PERWAKILAN Chennai". PERWAKILAN Chennai. 10 June 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
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