The Daily Brunei Resources

Nowadays, ladies are not in the open procession anymore.   THE HISTORY OF MAULIDUR RASUL CELEBRATIONS IN  BRUNEI RozanYunos Bandar Seri Begawan Sunday, December 27, 2015 HOW LONG has the Maulidur Rasul been celebrated in Brunei? Sadly, we will never know when or how Maulidur Rasul was first celebrated in Brunei. What is known is that Islam came to Brunei in the 11th or 12th century and was entrenched further when the first Brunei Sultan, Sultan Muhammad Shah converted to Islam when he married a Johore Princess in 1363. By the time of Sultan Sharif Ali, Alonso Bertran, a Spanish traveller described Brunei’s main mosque in 1578 was as high as five storeys. Islam was already held in high regard then and most likely so was the practise of Maulidur Rasul. One very early vague account was a description in Peter Blundell’s book “The City of Many Waters” published in 1923 about life in Bunei in the late 1890s to early 1900s, was that during Maulidur Rasul, people in Brunei ...

The Heritage of Tamu Kianggeh RozanYunos Bandar Seri Begawan Sunday, December 20, 2015 Tamu Bandar Before Tamu Kianggeh Tamu Bandar Before Tamu Kianggeh LAST Monday, a news article on The Brunei Times on the closure of the Tamu Kianggeh caused a furore among vendors as well as regular visitors to the tamu. Some vendors expressed their grievances on the idea of losing the tamu, which for most of them, have been an integral part of their lives. Some were shocked and some were frustrated as most have inherited their stalls from their parents and grandparents and that it is a part of their heritage. Although some vendors agreed that even though visitors to the tamu have decreased over the years, they argued that it remains as one of the most visited locations in Brunei. Another reason for the furore was that the replacement new Tamu Gadong was not suitable for them with some vendors incapable of going to Tamu Gadong and were unwilling to abandon their livelihood at K...

Brunei Town bombed during World war II Brunei Town 1950 (Source: Rozan Yunos Collection) Brunei Town 1950 (source: Rozan Yunos Collection) Brunei: Rising from the Ruins of World War II Rozan Yunos Bandar Seri Begawan Sunday, December 13, 2015 IT WAS 74 years ago this month that Brunei Darussalam was dragged reluctantly into World War II. On 16 December 1941, 10,000 Japanese troops arrived in Kuala Belait. Within a week, they occupied the entire country. They did not face any opposition as the British, despite the treaty between them and Brunei, left only a tiny detachment of a Punjabi Regiment in Kuching, Sarawak to protect the three territories of British Borneo of Brunei, Sarawak and then North Borneo. At first, the Japanese, despite being occupiers, were not “too much hated” by the people though it was “very dangerous if one did not toe their line”. The Japanese were seen as “harsh” and “drove the workers hard”, and during the early stages of the occupation, the ...

Kampong Ayer in the 1950s. Source (Rozan Yunos Collection) Kampong Ayer - Past and Present RozanYunos Bandar Seri Begawan Sunday, December 6, 2015 IF YOU are a Kampong Ayer aficionado or a former resident, the destruction of all the old houses by the Brunei River bank, will surely bring back memories. Over the years, many villages in Kampong Ayer have disappeared and many familiar villages names remain only in memories. These names include Sultan Lama, Khatib Sulaiman, Ujong Pemukat, Bakut China, Menjalin, Sungai Panga, Bakut Berumput, Sungai Kuyuk, Kuala Peminyak, Pandai Amas, Sungai Siamas, Sumbiling, Sumbiling Baru, Sungai Kedayan, Ujung Tanjung, Pemancha Lama and Bukit Salat. If we want to compare the changes with what Brunei used to have in Brunei’s Water Village of the past, the one book which must be read is the book written by Sir Spenser Buckingham St John entitled “Life in the Forests of the Far East” first published in 1862 in two volumes by Smith, Elder and...

Fisheries Expansion Goes Onshore in Brunei Oxford Business Group 26.11.2015 Onshore developments, including aquaculture and processing facilities, could help Brunei Darussalam unlock the potential of its burgeoning fisheries industry. The Sultanate is keen to overcome supply gaps and boost the sector’s contribution to GDP, particularly in the value-added segment, as part of a national drive to diversify the economy away from oil and gas. Maritime legacy A one-time maritime hub, Brunei Darussalam’s natural resources – which include 161 km of coastline and an extensive, 36,600-sq-km exclusive economic zone – should support the country’s efforts to expand fisheries revenues. The sector’s current share of economic output remains low, at just short of 1% of GDP when combined with both forestry and agriculture as of the second quarter of 2015, according to the Department of Statistics. However, the fisheries segment in particular has recorded substantial growth over the last year,...

WANDERINGS IN SOUTH EASTERN SEAS The Golden Legacy Article written by Rozan Yunos Bandar Seri Begawan Sunday, November 29, 2015 THERE are not many books about Brunei written in the past. The few that are written are cherished. Almost all of these books were written by men authors and there are times we missed the views from the gentler side. However there is one chapter of a book describing Brunei, if not an entire book at least, written by a lady author. The book is entitled ‘Wanderings in South Eastern Seas’ and it was published in 1924 by T Fisher Unwin Ltd of London. The author was Charlotte Cameron. Charlotte Cameron was described as an intrepid traveller. In that book, she listed the itinerary of places she had visited from 1910 to 1923 where for each visit, she wrote a book and the list include “Twenty-four Thousand Miles in South America” in 1910; “The Imperial Durbar at Delhi” in 1911; “Russia” in 1912; “Twenty-seven Thousand Miles in Africa”in 1913; “War Work Lect...

Brunei on top of the world in girls’ education on: November 28, 2015 | Azlan Othman | BRUNEI Darussalam clinched the top spot globally in the category of female enrolment in secondary and tertiary education, according to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) latest Global Gender Gap Report. The country’s overall gender equality ranking moved up 10 positions in 2015 to 88 out of 145 countries from 98 out of 142 countries last year. The Global Gender Gap Index 2015, which was released this week, ranked the economies according to how well they are leveraging their female talent pool, based on economic, educational, health-based and political indicators. Brunei Darussalam is among the top 20 countries globally with the highest women to men ratio in higher education. The Sultanate has some of the best educated female citizens in the world, the report noted. They outnumber their male counterparts in tertiary education institutions. Brunei is one of the countries where women are more like...

Latest changes (new Deputy Permanent Secretary MINDEF) included up to 28th November 2015. PERMANENT SECRETARIES Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Yahya bin Haji Idris (Corporate Affairs and Civil Service) Dato Paduka Haji Jamain bin Haji Julaihi (Energy) Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman (Research and Development, Economy and Finance) Dato Paduka Haji Joanda HA Rashid (Law and Welfare) Adi Shamsul bin Haji Sabli (Industry) Pengiran Datin Shazainah bte Pg Dato Paduka Shariffudin (International) Haji Abd Mutalib bin Pehin Dato Haji Yussof (Media and Cabinet) Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) Datin Paduka Hajah Suriyah binti Haji Umar Ministry of Finance (MOF) Haji Nazmi bin Haji Mohammad Ahmaddin bin Haji Abd Rahman (Performance) Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) Dato Paduka Lim Jock Hoi Datin Tan Bee Yong Dato Paduka Haji Matnor bin Haji Jeludin Sheikh Haji Fadilah bin Sheikh Haji Ahmad Emaleen bte Abdul Rahman Teo Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) Haji Md A...

News from the past. 50 years ago. +++++ Police launch campaign against stray buffaloes NOVEMBER 20, 1965 – Photo shows a car on the Muara road giving a particularly wide berth to two bulls fighting on the road. Police have launched a campaign against stray buffaloes and cattle on Brunei’s main roads. They have told their owners to keep them in enclosures, especially at night. Over the last few years, stray cattle have caused many accidents, some of them fatal. A law was passed some years ago making it an offence to let cattle go stray.

My article was published on my column The Golden Legacy in The Brunei Times on Sunday 22 November 2015:- +++++ USS Constitution was in Brunei in 1845 The Kianggeh Coal and the US-Brunei Treaty of 1850 Rozan Yunos Bandar Seri Begawan Sunday, November 22, 2015 THE invention of the steamship had a profound effect on the world of trade, military conflict and colonialism. James McLin (2012) noted that “while not the sole cause of victory in colonial warfare, nor a guarantee of victory, the steamship was an indispensable tool in the expansion of colonialism in the 19th century. Allowing for the tactics of gunboat diplomacy, lightning fast wars, and vast improvements in logistics, the path of European colonialism was shaped by the steamship.” Adam R Nelson writing an article entitled “Nationalist Science and International Academic Travel in the Early Nineteenth Century: Geological Surveys and Global Economics, 1800-1840” published in 2006 noted that “Britain’s demand f...

The Oxford Business Group posted the following news: +++++ Brunei Darussalam Looks To Work Around LNG Challenges 17 November 2015 An upgrade to its fleet of tankers could help Brunei Darussalam’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector weather external headwinds, which appear unlikely to ease in the near to medium term. While Brunei is taking steps to diversify its economy, the energy sector remains at its core, with hydrocarbons revenues accounting for around half of GDP. The country’s LNG sector revolves around the partly state-owned Brunei LNG (BLNG) plant in Lumut. Originally constructed in 1972, the plant’s capacity has been upgraded over the years, and it now produces around 7.2m tonnes per annum. BLNG continues to play a key role in both regional LNG supply and the domestic economy, shipping around 6.71m tonnes of gas to Japan and South Korea each year. Capacity boost The country’s capacity to ship hydrocarbons, which is the cornerstone of Brunei’s export-oriented ene...

Latest changes included up to 19th November 2015. PERMANENT SECRETARIES Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Yahya bin Haji Idris (Corporate Affairs and Civil Service) Dato Paduka Haji Jamain bin Haji Julaihi (Energy) Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman (Research and Development, Economy and Finance) Dato Paduka Haji Joanda HA Rashid (Law and Welfare) Adi Shamsul bin Haji Sabli (Industry) Pengiran Datin Shazainah bte Pg Dato Paduka Shariffudin (International) Haji Abd Mutalib bin Pehin Dato Haji Yussof (Media and Cabinet) Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) Datin Paduka Hajah Suriyah binti Haji Umar Ministry of Finance (MOF) Haji Nazmi bin Haji Mohammad Ahmaddin bin Haji Abd Rahman (Performance) Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT) Dato Paduka Lim Jock Hoi Datin Tan Bee Yong Dato Paduka Haji Matnor bin Haji Jeludin Sheikh Haji Fadilah bin Sheikh Haji Ahmad Emaleen bte Abdul Rahman Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) Haji Md Abdoh bin Dato Seri Setia Hj Abd Salam Mini...

Rebecca Oi BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN Sunday, November 15, 2015 ATTENDING one of Pg Dato Paduka Hj Asmalee Pg Ahmad’s inspirational talks is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many as it heightens interest and knowledge about art in its many forms. This accomplished veteran artist aims to motivate art students with his many masterpieces and during a question and answer session, he was inquired on “why he enjoyed painting historical images and what was his goal in pursuing a career in art”. For starters, Pg Dato Paduka Hj Asmalee’s interest in painting began as a hobby when he was a little boy. “Historical events transpire every second, minute, hour and day and this continues on until our very last breath,” he said during an interview with The Brunei Times. “Only through painting and photographs can chronological facts be recorded and the past or present state of affairs as well as environment can be properly portrayed.” “Art came before everything and all forms of wri...

   Brunei in 1915 written by Rozan Yunos published in The Brunei Times on Monday, November 16, 2015 IN 1915, one hundred years ago, World War I had just started. It was in September 1914 when the First Battle of the Marne began resulting in a French victory, halting the German advance towards Paris. In 1915, Tsar Nicholas had taken command of the Russian armies and the British forces used gas in a battle near Loos, but the shifting winds caused 60,000 British casualties instead. Far from the battle fields of Europe, Brunei was coming to the end of the first decade since the British Resident took over the government in 1906. The Brunei Annual Report of 1915 was written by its then British Resident, Ernest Barton Maundrell. Thirty-five-year-old Maundrell who had entered the Federated Malay States (FMS) Civil Service in 1903 was first appointed to serve at Seremban, Negri Sembilan, before he was transferred to Singapore in 1911, and in 1915 was appointed Acting Res...

Second bout of appointments and transfers with the appointment of several Permanent Secretaries as a Minister and Deputy Ministers in the new cabinet as well as new ministerial portfolios, new Permanent Secretaries and Deputy Permanent Secretaries were appointed tonight 11 November 2015. The Updated List of Permanent Secretaries and Deputy Permanent Secretaries is as follows in order of protocol: PERMANENT SECRETARIES Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Yahya bin Haji Idris (Corporate Affairs and Civil Service) Dato Paduka Haji Jamain bin Haji Julaihi (Energy) Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman (Research and Development, Economy and Finance) Dato Paduka Haji Joanda HA Rashid (Law and Welfare) Adi Shamsul bin Haji Sabli (Industry) Pengiran Datin Shazainah bte Pg Dato Paduka Shariffudin (International) Haji Abd Mutalib bin Pehin Dato Haji Yussof (Media and Cabinet) Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) Datin Paduka Hajah Suriyah binti Haji Umar Ministry of Finance (MOF) Haji Nazmi ...

Brigadier General (U) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sahat, Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) Joint Force Commander; Rear Admiral Charlie Williams, Commander of the Task Force 73; and Craig Allen, US Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam, as well as other senior officers from RBAF and senior commanding officers of the combined task force ships from Brunei Darussalam and the United States in a group photo Rear Admiral Charlie Williams, Commander of the Task Force 73 during an interview with the Bulletin Among the uniform personnel at the event. – PHOTOS: DEAN KASSIM CARAT addresses maritime security threats on: November 03, 2015 | Nuri Sufri | THE US Navy (USN) will continue to be ever present in the Southeast Asian region to address the maritime security threats. This was highlighted at the opening ceremony of the 21st annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT), a joint military exercise between the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) and the United Stat...