Counsellor or Consul?

Basically, I rarely need to use my Myanmar passport as it is not so useful apart from visiting Burma. For ID purpose, I use my UK driving license. When I go to Europe and the States, I use my British passport. Myanmar passport is a pain. The holder will face a difficulty from obtaining a visa to travelling across the world. (an example)

Yesterday, we were talking about immigration matters with a friend of mine, leading to check my Myanmar passport again. At that point, I noticed that on the passport renewal page, stamp showed this passport is hereby renewed to be valid until xx.xx.xxxx.

signed by
Wai Lwin Than
Counsellor
Myanmar Embassy, London


My Myanmar passport renewal page

Counsellor? Not consul? I was wondering how a counsellor relates with a matter of passport renewal, instead of giving an advice to his own people living in Britain. I was a bit confused with that English usage. So I did check with dictionaries.

• Longman dictionary:

counsellor: someone whose job is to help and support people with problems

• Oxford dictionary

counsellor:
1. a person who has been trained to advise people with problems, especailly personal peroblems
2. (AmE, Iris E) a lawyer
3. (AmE) a person who is in charge of young people at a summer camp

• The free online dictionary (www.thefreedictionary.com/counsellor )

coun·sel·or also coun·sel·lor (kouns-lr, -slr)
n.
1. A person who gives counsel; an adviser.
2. An attorney, especially a trial lawyer.
3. A person who supervises young people at a summer camp.

When I checked my first time visa issued by British embassy, Yangon, the official's post was Pro-consul.

So I did search word "consul" in dictionaries. Here is the result.

• Longman dictionary

consul: a government official who is sent to live in a foreign city in order to help people from his or her own country who are living or staying there.

• Oxford distionary

consul: (N)a government official who is the representative of his or her country in a foreign city: the British consul in Miami

consular: (Adj) consular officials

• Online free dictionary (www.thefreedictionary.com/consul)

con·sul (knsl)
n. Abbr. Con. or Cons.
1. An official appointed by a government to reside in a foreign country and represent his or her government's commercial interests and assist its citizens there. See Usage Note at council.
2. Either of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, elected for a term of one year.
3. Any of the three chief magistrates of the French Republic from 1799 to 1804.



My Myanmar and British passport. legal to keep both in the UK.

After all, I was not clear about the role of Burmese embassy official. He is an advisor for Burmese people living in Britain, according to his title on the stamp. Moreover, he was able to authorise to renew a Myanmar passport, according to what he had done on my passport. It's interesting isn't it. If he has been doing those 2 jobs, what would be the role of Myanmar consul in London. Is there any Myanmar consul in Britain? I am sure, last time, U Nay Win was the Myanmar ambassador for the UK. During ambassador Dr Kyaw Win's era, he had to take responsibility of 2 embassies, Britain and Canada.

By the way, Myanmar embassy in London's Green Park is not bad and their service is straight forward while I have been hearing a noise from Myanmar embassies from Japan and Singapore .