KUALA LUMPUR, JUNE 24 — Colombia is committed to strengthening its cultural ties with Malaysia, especially in the field of gastronomy, said the Charge d’Affaires of the Colombian Embassy in Malaysia, Juan Carlos Moreno Gutierrez.
He said it was time for Colombia to increase its cultural activities in Malaysia, in preparation for the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries next year.
According to Moreno Gutierrez, although bilateral relations between Colombia and Malaysia will reach four decades next year, the two countries share many similarities that are still not widely known, especially by Malaysians.
“Colombia and Malaysia share similarities as both are tropical countries and have a lot of spicy food. However, so far, only Colombian coffee is popular in Malaysia,” he told Bernama when met at the “A Night in Colombia” event here, recently.
The Colombian embassy in Malaysia opened in 1997, while Colombia and Malaysia officially established diplomatic relations on August 19, 1987.
During the event, Bogota-born chef Fernando Arevalo, who is also the owner of the Michelin Guide-listed Colombian restaurant Latido in Singapore, was brought to Malaysia to showcase Colombian cuisine through dishes specially prepared for the guests.
Among the menus served are “Pan De La Casa” (homemade bread by chef Arevalo), “Sopa de Langosta” (crab soup with “capers”, potatoes and avocado) and “Costilla A La Parrilla” (grilled beef short ribs, shimeji mushrooms, horse wheat and grilled salad).
According to Moreno Gutierrez, Colombia and Malaysia have held exchange visits to each other this year, with 11 mayors from Colombia visiting Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) last April to strengthen cooperation and networking.
Last month, the Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) also participated in Interzum, a furniture and wood processing trade fair held in Bogota.
— BERNAMA
![KUALA LUMPUR, JUNE 24 -- The Child Protection Code (CPC) sets out a safe, practical and responsible age verification mechanism to ensure that only eligible users are allowed to access social media platforms. Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the CPC together with the Risk Reduction Code (RMC) were published by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on May 22, and came into effect on June 1 under the Online Safety Act 2025 [Act 866]. He said both codes aim to create a safer online environment, particularly to protect children from online risks and harm. "Under the CPC, licensed service providers offering social media services are required to implement an age verification mechanism, rather than identity verification, to ensure compliance with the minimum age limit set. "Users who have reached the age of 16 are allowed to register and have social media accounts, while individuals under that age are not allowed to open or have social media accounts until they reach the specified age," he said during a question and answer session at the Dewan Rakyat, today. He was answering Syahredzan Johan's (PH-Bangi) original question regarding the purpose of implementing age verification for social media accounts, as well as measures to ensure access to personal data is restricted and deleted after use. Fahmi said the implementation of the mechanism should be done safely, practically and respectful of user privacy, in line with the requirements set out under the CPC. Social media service providers are also required to ensure that the process complies with laws relating to personal data protection, including the principles of data minimization, and purpose limitation by limiting data collection to information necessary for age verification purposes and disposing of it upon completion. He said the age verification mechanism should be implemented based on official documents issued by the Malaysian Government such as MyKad, passport, birth certificate or other documents recognised by the government. "To ensure that the age verification mechanism is not manipulated, age verification must be supported by official government records and not just self-declaration." "The CPC also allows the use of other documents recognised by the Malaysian Government, including equivalent records issued by competent authorities in other jurisdictions so that access to online protection can be provided equitably to all children regardless of their documentation status," he said. Fahmi said the implementation of age verification does not permanently prevent children from using social media, but rather postpones account ownership until they reach the age of 16, and have a more appropriate level of maturity to use the platform safely and responsibly. He said the approach known as the "Wait 16" initiative was introduced to protect children and families from online risks and harm. -- BERNAMA](https://minutesmy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/TB_Fahmi-Fadzil-Dewan-Rakyat_BERNAMA-1024x576.webp)
