A senior Indonesian diplomat serving as the head of the Embassy of Indonesia has died of COVID-19.
Ferdie Piay was serving as the Charge d’Affaires of the mission and had fallen ill last month because of COVID-19. He was flown back to Indonesia in the end of April but breathed his last on Tuesday.
Mr. Piay was heading the mission, as Indonesia was in the process of appointing a new ambassador after the tenure of the previous one Sidhartho R Suryodipuro ended. His tenure coincided with the first and second wave of the pandemic in India.
Mr. Piay took charge of the embassy and steered the vaccine cooperation related dialogue with India over the last one year. He was part of the delegation of diplomats that was taken to pharmaceutical companies that produce vaccines in Hyderebad. He was a well-known face in the ASEAN-India circles.
Mr. Piay is the highest-ranking diplomat to die in the second wave of COVID-19 in India. Earlier this, month a senior Indian staff working in the High Commission of New Zealand passed away because of COVID-19.
Embassies and diplomatic missions in Delhi have confirmed a large number of COVID-19 cases so far, with cases being reported from embassies of Bhutan, Philippines, New Zealand and Thailand. Countries have often evacuated diplomats and support staff based on the requirements. A Saudi diplomat was evacuated along with his family earlier this month in an air ambulance. On Tuesday, spouse of an official in the High Commission of Bangladesh passed away because of COVID-19. Her mortal remains were repatriated by Tuesday afternoon.
