VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

 British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste during opening speech - 

More than 700 people – mostly Indonesians and Brits, came together on Tuesday night at the Ritz Carlton, in Mega Kuningan, Jakarta to celebrate the UK’s thriving relationship with Indonesia and with ASEAN, and both Her Majesty Elizabeth II’s birthday and 70 years of service. 

Guests were entertained with British food and beverages, with traditional classics like Fish & amp; Chips and Roast dinner served alongside Curries and Daal - dishes brought to the UK by the unlimited migration from Commonwealth countries between the years of 1948 and 1962 – which saw the UK transformed by migrants from India, Pakistan, the Carribean and many more. British desserts and cheeses were laid out for guests – including Sticky Toffee pudding, Eton Mess and Bread & Butter pudding. 

Guests were able to check out a VR booth that took them to virtual experiences in the UK and earn a copy of the British Embassy’s new Tourism Guidebook; use a 180 degrees Glam Cam to take photos; and take Lavender seeds home to plant – as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative that has seen 1 million trees planted in the UK to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. 

Guests were entertained by a 10-piece military band flown over specially from the UK to play at this event, and Indonesian rock group ‘Centre Stage’ – who played British music hits from Queen, The Beatles, Oasis, Blur, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Adele and more. Speeches from British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste Owen Jenkins and British Ambassador to ASEAN Jon Lambe, thanked Indonesia and ASEAN for the growing partnership “we are weaving even closer together”, reflected on the Queen’s 70 years on the throne, and the huge changes in that time, and looked forward to expanding and strengthening the relationship. 

According to a release receive by Voice of Indonesia on Tuesday (31/05/22), the growing global importance of Indonesia and ASEAN has long been apparent to the UK. In 2021 the UK went further - setting out its ‘tilt’ to the Indo-Pacific – putting growing relations with the region at the heart of the UK’s foreign, defence, security and development policy. Two weeks ago, the UK set out its development strategy, with Indonesia one of only a couple of countries named more than once.

The UK wants to see Indonesia and ASEAN develop and grow more prosperous, and the UK believes helping countries grow will help the UK to build strong friendships around the world, in the near and long term. Just as Her Majesty the Queen has seen a lot of changes in her 70 years on the throne – so will the world see a lot of changes in the coming 70.

In recognition of the Queen’s historic achievement, the outer embassy wall in Patra Kuningan will be lit up with purple lights throughout the 4 day weekend. The celebrations in Jakarta are complemented by those in the UK. The UK will enjoy a one-off four day weekend, from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th of June, with full coverage on BBC World News. British people are extremely excited, with streets transformed for street parties, cakes baked and more//VOI