The Daily Brunei Resources

Latest changes (appointment of Permanent Secretary and Deputy MOE) included up to 28th January 2016. 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 (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 (Management and International) 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 Affai

Dato Paduka Awang Haji Hamdan bin Haji Abu Bakar, Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, in a group photo with Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia, and other ministers during the launching of the conference. BERNAMA Brunei remains vigilant against terrorism threats on: January 27, 2016 THE government of Brunei Darussalam will continue to be vigilant against terrorism or terror-related activities happening in the country, especially in the midst of the Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTF) phenomenon. This was said by Dato Paduka Awang Haji Hamdan bin Haji Abu Bakar, Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office in a statement at the International Conference on De-radicalisation and Countering Violent Extremism 2016 (IDC 2016) held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from January 25 to 26. He said, “In the case of Brunei Darussalam, in order to effectively address radicalisation and violent extremism, we must not undermine the fact that neither of these phenomena ar

RozanYunos Bandar Seri Begawan Sunday, January 24, 2016 IF A stranger to Brunei drives through from Tutong to Kuala Belait, he will come across a lot of place name signages along the highway and will, indeed, be surprised to find one that reads Perumahan Kampung Bukit Beruang, or “Bukit Beruang Village Housing Estate” if translated to English. If that special name of Bukit Beruang was to be translated further, it becomes “Bear Hill”. Bear Hill or Bear’s Hill is, not surprisingly, quite a common name for places around the world. There is a Bear Mountain in California and in Brunei itself, there is a Sungai Beruang or “Bear River” not far from where Bukit Beruang is located. In Canada, there used to be a place called Bear Hill in the early 19th century but since 2014, it had been changed to Maskwacis which still means Bear Hill in the Cree language. South Dakota, USA, has a geological feature which is named Bear Butte. Bear Butte is called MathóPahá, or “Bear Mountain” by the Lakota Re

Latest changes (appointment of Permanent Secretary MPRT and Deputy Permanent Secretary MOH) included up to 26th January 2016. 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 (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 (Management and International) 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 M

Oxford Business Group issued this report on 19 January 2016:- +++++ Brunei Darussalam Year in Review Economic News Update 19 Jan 2016  While 2015 saw some progress in Brunei Darussalam’s ongoing diversification efforts, the challenging external climate, together with an increasingly competitive regional environment, further underscored the importance of pursuing non-oil revenue sources. Lower global energy prices, on top of weaker commodity earnings, sparked a significant drop in government revenues in 2015, prompting both the public and private sectors to sharpen their focus on other areas of the economy, including financial services, the halal industry and tech start-ups. However, a relatively strong Bruneian dollar and lower commodity prices also served to curb inflation over the year, with the consumer price index up by a marginal 0.1% year-on-year (y-o-y) in November, according to the Autoriti Monetari Brunei Darussalam (AMBD). The year ahead looks set to bring n

Oil price drop affects national spending on: January 20, 2016 | Siti Hajar | THE falling global oil prices are taking their toll on Brunei’s economy, with the government acknowledging yesterday that the current international economic climate surrounding the oil and gas industry is expected to further feed into Brunei’s financial deficit, should the trend continue. From a $213 million shortage in government spending for the year 2014/2015, it can spiral to $2.3 billion by the end of the current fiscal year if global oil prices continue to fall. In a speech delivered yesterday at the launching of the Enterprise Open Day at the Design and Technology Building in Anggerek Desa, Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance II, pointed to the “reality” that the shortfall in income that accounts for more than half of the country’s GDP, “has implications on the government’s abili

Latest changes (transfer of Deputy Permanent Secretary, MPRT to MOF and retirements) included up to 12th January 2016. 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 H

Temburong bridge taking shape on: January 17, 2016 | Siti Hajar | HIS Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam yesterday morning consented to attend the foundation laying ceremony of the Temburong bridge. Accompanying His Majesty at the ceremony were His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office; His Royal Highness Prince Haji Sufri Bolkiah; His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik; and His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Wakeel. Upon arrival at the foundation laying project site of the Temburong bridge in Kampong Sungai Besar, Jalan Kota Batu, His Majesty was greeted by Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance II as Chairman of the National Committe

Rozan Yunos Bandar Seri Begawan Sunday, January 17, 2016 MANY Brunei history enthusiasts are very familiar with Pigafetta’s narratives about Brunei. Antonio Pigafetta was the Italian chronicler who was part of Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition around the world in the 16th century. It was his description of Brunei that many historians quoted quite extensively. His description is very comprehensive and covered many areas including the first description of the city entirely built on salt water. Parts of his description of Brunei include the following description of Kampong Ayer complete with its padians: “The city is built in the sea, the King’s palace and the houses of the principal persons excepted. It contains twenty-five thousand hearths or families. The houses are built of wood upon large piles, to keep them from the water. When the tide rises, the women, who are chief venders of necessaries, traverse the town in boats. In front of the King’s place is a large wall, built wit

Adib Noor Brunei-Muara Sunday, January 10, 2016 TUCKED somewhere in Jalan Muara just before the scenic Muara Beach is a view like no other. Build as unique manmade landmark to maintain clean, sustainable rivers and a stable coastline around the area, this area has now become a haven for residents from the surrounding area. This majestic location is named simply as Tanjong Batu which consists of a long stretched out manmade structure, and a specially designed seawall which provides protection to the coast line. Once there, visitors will find a billboard which further explains the background and objectives of Tanjong Batu. The contents of the billboard stated that the area is part of project headed by the Ministry of Development Brunei Darussalam which was initiated to help Tanjong Batu from further land and cliff erosions. This project in turn aids in protecting the ecology of Sungai Pemburongunan and the rare turtle nesting areas along the coastal

Rozan Yunos Bandar Seri Begawan Sunday, January 10, 2016 ONE of the best sources for Malay history is the “Sejarah Melayu” or in English is known as the “Malay Annals”. The subjects covered in the work included the founding of the kingdom of Malacca and its relationship with neighbouring kingdoms, the advent and spread of Islam in the region, the history of the royalty in the region as well as the administrative hierarchy of the Malacca kingdom and its successor states. It is regarded as the finest literary and historical works in the Malay language. It was originally written in the Classical Malay in the old Jawi script. The original version of it was said to be written during the reign of the Malacca Sultanate in Malacca. It was brought together when Sultan Mahmud Shah fled from Malacca in 1511. In 1528, the original document was brought to Johor from Kampar. In 1536, the document was seized by the Portuguese but it was later brought back to Malacca. The original script was rewrit

Rebecca Oi BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN Thursday, January 7, 2016 IN THE recent years, the local creative industry has become prominent in the sultanate, noticeably targeting the youth. The Brunei Arts Enthusiasts Association (PeSTAB) chaired by Awang Seruddin Haji Awang Damit has been striving to boost the industry since its inauguration in 2005. Starting with a group of 15 people, the association has grown to 80 members specialising in all aspects of the creative and cultural industry which include craft, design, literature, music, performing arts and visual arts. Speaking to The Brunei Times recently, Awang Seruddin said that PeSTAB is made up of professionals who have ample experience in their craft armed with the drive as well as the determination to succeed. “We are different from other organisations as they would only concentrate on a specific skill set or talent. Rather, we are an association combining various genres of art and we would like to inspire and

The Oxford Business Group on 29th December 2015 reported the following: +++++ Brunei Darussalam | Tourism  Economic News Update | 29 Dec 2015 A cabinet reshuffle in Brunei Darussalam has sharpened the country’s focus on tourism against a backdrop of sluggish industry growth and falling visitor numbers. Created in October 2015, the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism is charged with exploring ways of leveraging Brunei Darussalam’s strengths, which include its strategic location in the heart of the ASEAN region and a variety of natural attractions. The reshuffle was widely welcomed by the country’s tourism operators, many of whom see it as a sign that the government is looking to shore up support for the industry, which is seen as a key component of the national effort to diversify Brunei Darussalam’s economy. Abundant attractions Emerging niche markets, such as the eco- and agri-tourism segments, together with short-term stays, feature prominently on the list of are

Hafiizah Maideen BELAIT Sunday, January 3, 2016 TUCKED away in the corner between Seria town and Lumut, is a recreational park known to the locals as Anduki Recreational Park. Built sometime in 1992, the park is located on the roadside of the old road connecting Lumut-Seria and Kuala Belait. It was constructed to commemorate the silver jubilee of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam. The project was developed by Brunei Shell Petroleum. Originally, the park is a series of abandoned natural sand pit – formed due to its location near the coast. These flooded sand pits were transformed into a 53-hectare landscaped leisure area, whereby the former deep sandpits have been converted into a broad lake in the middle of the recreational area. Back then, the lake serves as the focal point for a range of recreational activities including fishing, boating and windsurfing. Recently, it becam