PUTRAJAYA -- Indonesia will have a landmark in this administrative capital once its new embassy building, which houses a trade promotion centre and a cultural centre, is completed soon.
Indonesian Minister/Charge d`Affaires Tatang Budi Razak said today Indonesia hoped to be the pioneer in moving its embassy to the diplomatic precinct here as a symbol of the good relations between Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta.
Already today, Indonesia has taken the lead in being the first buyer of the RM35-million embassy lot in Precinct 4, the second diplomatic precinct to be developed in Putrajaya.
"We hope that by next year we will get the planning approval," he told reporters after an exchange of documents today between Putrajaya Corporation and the Government of Indonesia at the Diplomatic Precint for the purchase of the embassy land.
The embassy complex would also incorporate the residence of the ambassador.
Tatang said the Indonesian embassy in Malaysia was the largest and busiest of the country`s embassies around the world.
"We have about 120 embassies and consulates-general worldwide. This is the largest and busiest as we have to take care of more than two million Indonesians living and working in Malaysia.
"We also have two million of our tourists coming here annually while those living and working here include about 5,000 expatriates, 30,000 students and more than 200,000 permanent residents. So you just imagine how big the Indonesian community here is," he said.
He also said that the existing embassy building in Kuala Lumpur would be retained to process visa and passports once the new embassy was ready.
Sumber : www.bernama.com (24 Mei 2008)