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Hundreds of Bangladeshi expatriates turned up at a special two-day mobile consular service camp organised by the Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia in George Town, Penang, to access passport and other essential government services without travelling to Kuala Lumpur.
Held at the NBL Remittance House, the initiative drew a strong response from Bangladeshi workers and residents across Penang, who said the programme saved them considerable time, travel expenses and the inconvenience of making long journeys to the Bangladesh High Commission.
The camp, which concluded on Sunday after beginning on Saturday, provided a wide range of consular services, including the submission of e-passport applications, biometric enrolment and other official assistance.
Applicants began arriving early in the morning, forming long queues to complete passport-related formalities and other documentation. Many said they had previously been forced to spend an entire day travelling to Kuala Lumpur, often at significant personal cost, to access the same services.
“This initiative has made our lives much easier. We can now complete passport-related work without losing working days or spending a large amount on travel,” said one expatriate waiting for service.
Yasin Kabir, Head of the Passport and Visa Wing of the Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia, said the mobile consular programme was being conducted under the direction of Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Manjurul Karim Khan Chowdhury.
He said the initiative aims to bring government services closer to Bangladeshi nationals living outside Kuala Lumpur and is deliberately being organised during weekends and public holidays to enable the maximum number of expatriates to benefit.
Yasin added that similar mobile consular service camps would be organised in phases across other Malaysian states to improve access to essential consular services for Bangladeshi migrant workers and residents.
Officials from the Bangladesh High Commission, together with representatives of ESKL, the Bangladesh government’s authorised outsourcing partner for passport, visa and other consular services, assisted applicants throughout the programme by receiving applications, verifying documents, collecting biometric information and completing other required formalities.
Expatriates welcomed the initiative and urged the High Commission to organise such mobile consular camps on a regular basis, particularly in Malaysia’s major industrial regions where large numbers of Bangladeshi workers are employed.
They said expanding the programme would make government services more accessible, reduce travel costs and ease the administrative burden on thousands of Bangladeshis living and working outside the Malaysian capital.