JAKARTA - The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia (Indonesian Ambassador) to England, Desra Percaya stated that he had communicated with the British government through the Director of the British Ambassador to Southeast Asia Sarah Cooke, discussing the fate of the Indonesian badminton team which was forced to withdraw from the All England 2021 tournament.
Desra said there were three important points emphasized by the Indonesian government regarding the case, namely no discrimination, differentiation of treatment, and the importance of transparency.
"This morning at 9.30, I communicated with Ambassador Sarah Cooke. I conveyed the important messages, there is no discrimination, there is no distinction, and the importance of transparency," Desra said in a virtual press conference quoted from era.id, Thursday, March 18.
In addition to three important messages, Desra also conveyed three options for the British government to follow up on the incident that happened to the Indonesian badminton team at the 2021 All England tournament.
First, the Indonesian side urged athletes and official teams from Indonesia to immediately repeat the PCR test swab and the results are immediate.
The second option, if the test results show that someone is positive for COVID-19, then the Indonesian side will accept it. However, he asked for the holding of the All England championship to be postponed for up to 10 days according to the time limit for self-isolation set by the British government.
"Whatever the result, of course we will respect because it is a fact. In this connection, if indeed, we also remember that the players and supporters have also interacted with many countries on the indoor arena field. Of course, it should also be considered that All England is stopped temporarily. or suspended, "said Desra.
"This means that all matches will be suspended to provide an opportunity for independent isolation. So all are given the same treatment, and after 10 days the match starts again," he added.
The last option, said Desra, was that the British government agreed that if most athletes and Indonesian official teams tested positive for COVID-19 when a PCR test was repeated, the All England championship was stopped.
The reason is to maintain the safety of all athletes who compete in the oldest badminton event in the world, especially the Indonesian national team.
"The third option, which is also noted by Mrs. Sarah, yes, if indeed the positive number experienced by athletes or supporters is quite large, it is quite massive, so just stop All England 2021. After all, there is no urgency as well considering the importance of maintaining the health and safety of all. athletes, including Indonesian athletes, "said Desra.
As well as communicating with the British Foreign Ministry, Desra also claimed to have contacted a member of the British parliament for assistance.
"To the British, I said, don't forget, you know, this badminton originates from the UK, but don't forget the hundreds of millions of fans from Indonesia. And I also say, I don't want this issue to be an obstacle to better bilateral development between Indonesia and the UK. , "he said.
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