|     Fizah HAB     |

MORE than 30 children participated in a colouring contest held at the Brunei Food Festival on Sunday (March 27).

Held at the Indoor Stadium, customers had the opportunity to take part in fun games and exciting activities organised by Star Bugs Event Management which include the colouring contest as well as other fun interactive games.

The seven day festival will end its run today. Those interested are welcomed to witness the live lucky draw after 7.30pm at the Indoor Stadium where exciting prizes comprising electronic appliances and vouchers are to be won.

This event is endorsed by the Ministry of Home Affairs and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports with Borneo Bulletin as the media partner.

Winners of the colouring contest during the Brunei Food Festival pose for a photo. – FIZAH HAB

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A CONFERENCE paper by Nurulhidayati binti Haji Mohd Sani, Dr Mohd Saiful Omar and Dr Au Thien Wan titled ‘Virtual Campus: A Case Study of Development using Open Sources Software’ was awarded session best paper in the International Conference on Image Processing, Production and Computer Science (ICIPCS 2016) which was held in London, United Kingdom.

The paper was presented in the conference by Dr Mohd Saiful Omar, according to a press release from Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB).

The conference was organised by the Universal Researchers in Engineers.

A role-playing virtual campus was proposed in this paper for UTB to provide an additional route to enhance the learning experience of students.

Dr Mohd Saiful Omar receiving the session best paper award during the International Conference on Im-age Processing, Production and Computer Science (ICIPCS 2016) held in London, United Kingdom. – UTB

The study adopted in their proposal used the Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games approach in which open sources software, OpenSimulator, was used as the development platform for Virtual World (VW) and 3D Virtual Learning Environment (3DVLE). SLOODLE was used as the Learning Management System (LMS) for the VW. The main viewer used was the Firestorm viewer.

The prototype developed focused at Phase 2 section of the campus as the study area and was tested on a group of existing undergraduate students. The responses and feedback to this preliminary novel approach was very encouraging and the acceptance of Virtual Reality based learning is positive.

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|     Faza Suraj     |

THE Bruneian hospitality was clearly felt by a group of students from Curtin University Sarawak Malaysia as they arrived in Brunei yesterday to begin their social work visit.

YB Awang Haji Mohd Shafiee bin Ahmad, a member of the Legislative Council, welcomed the 14 students of different nationalities led by Bruneian Nurul Qamariyyah binti Haji Abdul Wahab, who is the Organising Chairperson.

The visit is a part of the four-day-three-night Building Brunei Programme conducted by the Humanitarian Affairs Curtin Sarawak (HACS) in collaboration with the Executive of Community Services and Student Welfare (ECS) of Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

Nurul Qamariyyah who is originally from Kampong Bebatik Kilanas said that Belait District was chosen over other locations in the Sultanate as it is in line with the programme’s aim to serve communities and help the less fortunate.

A group photo of the Curtin University Sarawak students with YB Awang Haji Mohd Shafiee bin Ahmad, a member of the Legislative Council. – FAZA SURAJ

“There are quite a number of places that we can visit in the (Brunei) capital but Belait offers various places where our group can help make an impact,” she said, adding that the visit was also an effort to build a relationship between Curtin University and Brunei as well as encourage volunteerism among the participants.

“One of the main reasons why I go to Curtin University is because of its international status where I get to mingle with people from different cultures,” added the 21-year-old Entrepreneurship and Marketing student.

Haniff Ahmad Shah, the Head of Logistics in the programme who is originally from Johor, Malaysia said that it was his second visit to Brunei but his first time in Belait District. He felt privileged to meet with one of the community leaders in Brunei.

“He made us feel at home,” said the Mechanical Engineering student.

Volunteers who join the programme are seeking new experiences, said Sufrina Sufian a Mechanical Engineering student who is originally from Sabah.

“We can have different experiences such as doing community service,” said the 22-year-old, adding that the visit allowed the participants to step out of their comfort zone.

Among the other places the students will visit are Pusat Bahagia Eric Goh, an old folks home and Menderam Besar Longhouse to conduct community service activities.

The post Sarawak students take part in ‘Building Brunei Programme’ appeared first on Borneo Bulletin Online.

TO FURTHER support the development and progression of students under the BIBD ALAF programme, Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam (BIBD) has arranged learning camps to help build their self-confidence, develop their communication capabilities, and instil a sense of appreciation.

In a press release, BIBD stated that the learning camps are divided into three with the first, Refresher Camp, held on March 26. The Refresher Camp was specially organised for the latest 46 students who were recently awarded and included into the ALAF (Advocating Life-long Learning for an Aspiring Future) programme for 2016.

The second and third camps, the HELP (Holiday English Language Programme) camps, are arranged for around 80 students. These camps are organised with the cooperation of the Centre for British Teachers (CfBT) to deliver spoken English training camps for the BIBD ALAF programme students.

The HELP camps include lectures, hands-on and task-based activities to promote teamwork. The camps are also designed to foster a ‘can do’ belief in their English abilities and to establish good learner training habits.

The BIBD ALAF programme currently includes more than 100 students, whose fundings are collected from efforts of BIBD’s Corporate Social Responsibility, which includes BIBD Charity Expeditions for ALAF, along with generous contributions from corporate agencies as well as general public since its launch in May 2013 by Her Royal Highness Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah binti Pengiran Haji Salleh Ab Rahaman.

BIBD officials in a group photo with BIBD ALAF students during the Refresher Camp on March 26. – BIBD

The ALAF programme was developed in close partnership with the Department of Schools, Ministry of Education, and in 2015 a Memorandum of Understanding was also signed with the Islamic Studies Department from the Ministry of Religious Affairs. This will lead to constant efforts and close collaboration between all parties to ensure the successful implementation and provision of assistance to the ALAF programme.

The ALAF programme provides the selected students with provisions for school and tuition fees, educational materials and welfare, as well as mentoring and counselling necessities amongst others. All these efforts are meant to ensure the absolute commitment of these students towards the development of their education, and prevent them from being bothered by other commitments. The ALAF programme will also continue to provide support and assistance to these students until the end of their respective educational requirements.

Through ALAF, BIBD hopes to align its support to 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’s 2035 Vision of obtaining a 100 per cent level of education for everyone, which in turn is hoped to help reduce poverty. Insya Allah, this will lead Brunei towards a more prosperous and peaceful future, making Brunei populated with educated, highly skilful and successful individuals, in line with internationally set standards.

Members of the public wishing to contribute into the BIBD ALAF fund may do so with a minimum donation of B$1.01 into the BIBD ALAF account at 1018181811 via BIBD channels such as the BIBD Online website, BIBD Mobile app, BIBD ATMs and CDMs, and BIBD branch counters. The public can also set up a BIBD Standing Instruction to ensure a monthly donation into the ALAF fund.

As an added option, BIBD account holders can also use their accumulated BIBD Hadiah Points for cash conversion into contributions into the ALAF fund account. Progresif users can also make donation to the ALAF programme via its dedicated SMS in denominations of BND 1,5,10, 15 and 20 by typing ‘ALAF’ and entering the amount selected, and sending it to 38988.

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|     Achong Tanjong     |

MERAGANG residents are now experiencing smooth rides home and to work following the opening of a new fly-over near the area.

Motorists previously complained about the traffic in the area, especially during peak hours.

The Public Works Department (JKR) recently announced the opening of the fly-over on the lane heading towards Muara and Jerudong.

The second phase will involve the opening of the traffic light junction, which will be done after works are completed on the road shoulders.

The public can address complaints through the Darussalam line 123, Facebook at Jabatan Kerja Raya, Brunei Darussalam and emails pro@pwd.gov.bn.

The newly open fly-over lane heading towards Muara and Jerudong. – ACHONG TANJONG

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|     Azlan Othman     |

THE El Nino weather phenomenon has brought about scorching heat across Brunei Darussalam, affecting farmer fresh fruit and vegetable yields, lowering their output.

Jamal, a local farmer operating at the agricultural communal farm in Lumapas planting cucumber and eggplant, said it affects farmers who use the conventional style of farming compared to those who use technological farming.

“It needs constant monitoring of water supply and disease which is rampant during this dry period,” he said. “In other words, the plant system will experience stress. I was told by an officer from the Vegetable Technology Unit to treat the produce as living things.”

“However the current weather will not affect much for those who use the technological system except for the need to use controlled fertilisation,” he added.

Jamal added the heat wave causes more fires on agricultural land, forest and peatlands and affect the supply of traditional vegetables called ‘Lemiding’ which grows in the wild.

The aftermath of a bushfire near the Seria-Mumong Bypass. – FILE PHOTO

Besides the damage caused, this also contributes to ‘haze’, he feared.

According to Brunei’s Meteorological Department, rainfall is below normal this month and rainfall deficit exceeds 40 per cent of the average long term rainfall.

The Meteorological Department noted that based on the latest seasonal climate forecasts issued by leading world climate centres, strong El Nino conditions are predicted to persist over the Pacific Ocean before gradually weakening by June 2016.

Because of this global phenomenon, Brunei Darussalam is experiencing much less rainfall activity particularly this month. March is known to be the month with the lowest rainfall amount for Brunei Darussalam besides February, as compared to the other months.

Despite the expected reduction of rainfall, such activities can still potentially occur around the country, especially among the coastal region during the early morning hours.

The heat wave caused by El Nino is quite unbearable and provides a glimpse of the conditions that will result from climate change.

El Nino refers to a warming in sea surface temperatures across the central and east-central equatorial Pacific and is associated with a band of warm ocean water and changes to weather patterns in the affected areas.

El Nino happens at irregular intervals of two to seven years, on an average of five years; when it takes place, it can last many months or more than a year.

The post Conventional farming hit as El Nino wreaks havoc appeared first on Borneo Bulletin Online.

FOURTY local students from 10 primary schools nationwide were given hands-on training to produce relevant tech projects in a five-days Tech Kids Camp 2016 organised recently by the Authority for Info-communication Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) in collaboration with the Science, Technology and Environment Partnership (STEP) Centre, Ministry of Education, Women Techmakers powered by Google Developer Groups Brunei (GDG) and the Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB).

The event took place at Seri Kerna Hall, AITI.

The Tech Kids Camp was aimed to offer students the opportunity to experience the subjects applicable to programming, while providing tools to problem-solve, create, work in teams, and use critical thinking skills.

During the camp, the students from Year 4 and 5 worked as teams to develop an educational game using a simple programming tool called Scratch. The students embraced the importance of STEM learning: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics by producing a tech project in the form of an educational game which is centred around the STEM theme.

The technical programming contents of Scratch were facilitated by Jennifer Voon from the School of Computing and Informatics, UTB.

The team from St George’s School came in first place with their project Math Kids 1

Tungku Primary School came in second place

Seri Mulia Sarjana School was awarded with third place. – PHOTOS: AITI

The Tech Kids Camp was concluded with a pitching session where students pitched their tech projects to a panel of judges.

The team from St George’s School came in first place with their project ‘Math Kids 1’.

Coming in second place was Tungku Primary School, while Seri Mulia Sarjana School was awarded with third place.

St George’s School also won a Special Award for Best Presenter, with the award for Best ICT Project going to Tungku Primary School and Cikgu Norhanani binti Haji Mohd Yusof from Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Primary School was recognised as Best Mentor.

On hand to present the prizes to the winners was Pengiran Haji Mohd Zain bin Pengiran Haji Abdul Razak, the Chief Executive Officer of AITI.

The Tech Kids Camp is one of the initiatives under ‘Discover and Excite’ programme identified in the National ICT Manpower Masterplan, which was launched earlier this year by the Minister of Communications. The purpose of this programme is to allow youth and young students to experience ICT in a tangible and fun way.

AITI hopes this initiative will spur and ignite the students’ interest in exploring their creativity through the use of ICT and looks forward for more collaborations with other relevant stakeholders in relation to human capacity building and youth development in ICT.

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|     Faza Suraj     |

DENSE black smoke could be seen from several kilometres away as a junkyard filled with hundreds of tyres caught fire yesterday due to the spread of a forest fire in Anduki.

Haji Shaharuddin Khairul bin Haji Anuar, the Acting Director of the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation (JASTRe), who was at the scene told the Bulletin, that the fire from burning tyres was difficult to extinguish, especially with the flammable nature of the tyres and the strong winds fanning the flames.

He said the fire was also causing health concerns as toxic fumes from the smoke were being dispersed throughout the area.

Muhd Shahreeni bin Haji Mohd Yussof, the Commanding Officer of Fire and Rescue Department Branch ‘B’ who was also at the scene, said the Fire and Rescue Department was doing all they can to extinguish the fire.

Thick smoke from the burning tyres at the junkyard can be seen several kilometres away. – FAZA SURAJ

However, he said that even after putting out the flames, there is still a risk of reignition due to the inaccessible heat under the piles of tyres.

The main problem in the efforts to extinguish the flames was a lack of water in the area as a huge amount of water is needed to douse a fire of such intensity, he added.

He confirmed that the cause of the inferno was the forest fire nearby.

“There was fire on the previous day and it was extinguished, but due to the dry and windy weather, the forest fire reignited and spread to the junkyard,” he said.

Ten firefighters and two fire engines were battling the blaze at press time yesterday.

The post Forest fire sparks blaze at tyre yard appeared first on Borneo Bulletin Online.

|     Aziz Idris & Nuri Sufri     |

DARUSSALAM Enterprise (DARe), the statutory body recently established to monitor and nurture the growth of local enterprises in Brunei, organised two group sessions on ‘Shipping and Freight’ and ‘Late Payments’ yesterday at the Design and Technology Building, Anggerek Desa.

The sessions were part of the continuous efforts made by DARe to collect business-related suggestions and inquiries from enterprises on various issues faced by them in their respective industries.

During the session on ‘Late Payments’, the participating enterprises raised many issues, especially the difficulty in receiving payments after completion of government projects.

Ahmaddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman, Permanent Secretary (Performance) at the Ministry of Finance, said enterprises must request for original purchase orders before commencing projects or delivery of goods or services to the relevant government agencies to ensure secure payments.

This, he said, is crucial for the full effectiveness of the invoice tracking system provided by the government’s Treasury Accounting and Financial Information System (TAFIS). This enables ministries and their departments to track the movement of invoices and monitor the performance of the payment process.

He also said that the Letter of Award (LoA) alone will not suffice for payment and SMEs must insist on a purchase order.

Ahmaddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman, Permanent Secretary (Performance) at the Ministry of Finance, speaking at the session

One of the IT leaders sharing his experience during the session. – PHOTOS: AZIZ IDRIS

He went on to say that enterprises that do not show the original purchase order or indent for their goods or services will run the risk of not getting paid.

“SMEs awarded with a project must have the responsibility to ensure that they produce the PO (purchase order). Regardless of whether the projects are small or urgent, it helps mitigate the risk. Producing a PO will only takes a day or two,” Ahmaddin said, adding that “so that SME’s can secure payment from the Ministry of Finance”.

TAFIS has been completely rolled out at all ministries and departments to address issues of lost invoices and unacknowledged submitted invoices that result in late payments to enterprises involved in various government projects.

A notification slip to confirm the invoice will be provided immediately from the respective government agencies once it is successfully submitted by the enterprises.

Meanwhile, Adi Shamsul bin Haji Sabli, Permanent Secretary (Industry) at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), said that the Energy and Industry Department at the PMO will continue to work closely with ministries, government and non-government agencies locally and abroad to foster growth of business enterprises, thus increasing their contribution to the GDP.

“Through DARe, a common and more unified approach will be taken to direct, support and encourage the growth of local enterprises under a single body that is represented and driven by the private sector,” he explained.

During the session, a member of the audience suggested that instead of providing a hotline to track notification slips and document the process flow in order to ease the workload administratively, there should be a help desk in dealing with payments and other related issues.

In response to this, Ahmaddin explained that the Business Support Centre which will be launched in April is aimed at providing a one-stop hub for companies to deal with business- related processes.

Also present to gather suggestions related to the construction industry was Eddie bin Dato Paduka Haji Sunny, Permanent Secretary (Technical and Professional) at the Ministry of Development.

DARe hopes to develop local enterprises by assisting them in capacity building, facilitating access to funding, investment and access to domestic and international markets.

DARe welcomes new and existing enterprises to join for another dialogue session on the Halal industry at the Design and Technology Auditorium tonight.

Enterprises interested to know more about DARe can do so physically at the Business Helpdesk which is open from Monday to Friday on the first floor of Design and Technology Building, or contact via email dare@ei.gov.bn.

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|     Azlan Othman     |

THE most important discovery in Brunei’s maritime history, the Brunei Shipwreck, has attracted world attention.

Senior Museum Officer, Hanapi bin Haji Maidin, who was heavily involved in the Brunei Shipwreck project, told the media on the sidelines of the launch of the education pack and iPad app of the Brunei Shipwreck yesterday that the Discovery Channel did a documentary on the shipwreck.

“Artefacts were also put on display at a Paris museum in 2002 for six months and an Australia museum in 2004,” he said.

A two-month project in 1998 to retrieve the shipwreck involved professional divers from France, Holland, New Zealand, Australia and Singapore. The shipwreck was found 32 nautical miles from the coastal area at a depth of 62 metres.

Earthenware artefacts on display at the Brunei Darussalam Maritime Museum. – PHOTOS: BAHYIAH BAKIR

Senior Museum Officer, Hanapi bin Haji Maidin

Yves Grosjean, General Manager of Total E&P Deep Offshore Borneo BV

“About 89 per cent of the artefacts were ceramics while others included bronze, glass bracelets, beads, ivories and stones and metal objects. It was discovered during geophysical survey from Maharaja Lela and Jamalul Alam oilfields.

“This discovery has attracted some 33,000 visitors to the Brunei Maritime Museum since it was opened in March 2015,” he added.

Yves Grosjean, General Manager of Total E&P Deep Offshore Borneo BV, said, “It was initially meant for students but it would be pity if it was just left in paper form and not re-edited into a digital version.”

Muhd Rasimoon bin Haji Adinin, Head of Corporate Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility of Total E&P Deep Offshore Borneo BV, said, “The digital version was made to raise awareness among the public on the discovery.”

The app can be downloaded for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

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|     Faza Suraj     |

FOREST fires in Rasau, Belait District, temporarily halted the operation of the Koperasi Peladang Kampong Sungai Teraban filling station.

Hajah Hasnah binti Haji Omar Ali, supervisor of the filling station, said that for safety reasons, the pumps had to be switched off and the gate closed at 4am yesterday.

“It is a standard procedure so that we can minimise possible damage until it was deemed safe,” added the supervisor.

Kuala Belait Fire Station Commander Zulkeflee Alimas, who was at the scene, said the focus was to prevent the vents, which release highly flammable fumes from the tanks situated under the filling station.

Forest fires in Rasau has temporarily halted the functioning Koperasi Peladang Kampong Sungai Teraban filling station. – SYARIKAT KOPERASI KAMPONG SUNGAI TERABAN

“To prevent the fire from reaching the station, we sprayed the ground surrounding the area with water before attempting to control the flames,” he said, adding that the situation was under control by 10.30 am.

Afterwards, the filling station resumed operations as usual while fire personnel focussed on putting out the rest of the flames, which at time of press, had affected five hectares of land.

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|     James Kon     |

THE Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) has confirmed reports of a car crash in the Serusop commercial area, yesterday.

The Berakas Police Station received a distress call around 3.45pm, regarding a vehicle that had ploughed into a shop at Block B, of the Serusop Complex.

A 36-year-old woman was allegedly behind the wheel, when the accident occurred.

No serious injuries were reported, and the RBPF is investigating the cause of the accident.

Photo shows the site of the accident. – JAMES KON

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HIS Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, Deputy Sultan, yesterday morning received in audience the newly-appointed Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the newly appointed High Commissioner of the Republic of Singapore to Brunei Darussalam.

His Royal Highness first received Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Yusoff bin Haji Ismail, Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Yusoff previously served as the Deputy Minister of Education.

Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Yusoff received his Letter of Credence from 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 on March 23.

His Royal Highness then received Lim Hong Huai, High Commissioner of the Republic of Singapore to Brunei Darussalam. Lim Hong Huai formerly held the post of Director-General of Southeast Asia I, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore.

His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, Deputy Sultan, with Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Yusoff bin Haji Ismail (above), Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Lim Hong Huai (below), High Commissioner of the Republic of Singapore to Brunei Darussalam. – PHOTOS: INFOFOTO

Lim Hong Huai presented his Letter of Credence to His Majesty on March 23.

The ceremony took place at Qashr Al-Meezan.

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|     Azlan Othman     |

THE Brunei Shipwreck, the most important discovery in Brunei Darussalam maritime history that demonstrates Brunei’s role in maritime trades with other countries from the end of 15th to early 16th Century, is now available for students in education pack and iPad app.

The Brunei Shipwreck app was made possible by Total E&P Deep Offshore Borneo BV, Petronas Carigali Brunei Ltd and Murphy Oil Corporation and Brunei National Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (PetroleumBRUNEI).

Present at the launch at Brunei Darussalam Maritime Museum in Jalan Kota Batu was Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports.

The bulk of the 13,261 recovered artefacts were ceramics. Among them were glass bracelets, beads, ivories, stones, bronze and metal objects.

Yves Grosjean, General Manager of Total E&P Deep Offshore Borneo BV, said, “The Brunei Shipwreck is a very old merchant ship discovered on the seabed of the Brunei continental shelf. It was found when the company was surveying the route of the future Maharaja Lela field gas export pipeline.”

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof and Yves Grosjean, General Manager of Total E&P Deep Offshore Borneo BV during the launch of Brunei Shipwreck Application and Education Pack

Photos above & below show the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports watching some of the exhibitions during the event

Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, in a group photo with Yves Grosjean, General Manager of Total E&P Deep Offshore Borneo BV. – PHOTOS: BAHYIAH BAKIR

He added that the Brunei Shipwreck education pack was initially published in 2000. It was designed to provide lower secondary students an immersive experience and create opportunities for cross disciplinary class activities.

The new edition is accompanied by a Teacher Resource Manual and some digital resources.

Thus the Brunei Shipwreck project can now be enjoyed not just in classrooms, but by anyone anywhere in the world.

It is as much a story about personal histories as it is about the search for treasure. This book and the app indeed celebrate a discovery that attests to Brunei kingdom history of playing a prominent role in Asia for many centuries: a time capsule waiting for half a millennium to share its secrets.

Yves Grosjean said, “Total E&P Deep Offshore Borneo BV together with its partners (currently Petronas Carigali Brunei Ltd and Murphy Oil Corporation) in the Production Sharing Agreement signed with PetroleumBRUNEI, have sponsored several exhibitions of the artefacts in the past and are now sponsoring this re-edition of the published material.

“Through the past and present exhibitions, this book and the digital applications, Total and its partners hope that they have played their role in preserving such an important part of Bruneian history.

“We see this as an integral part of our overall commitment to both preserve the environment we are impacting with our industrial activities and contribute to the human and economic development of the communities who welcome us.”

The post App puts spotlight on Brunei’s maritime history appeared first on Borneo Bulletin Online.

THE 6th instalment of the Inter-company Sports Fest (Sukan Ria Antara Syarikat 2016), scheduled to run from April 10 to May 22, is now open for registration.

Carrying the slogan ‘One Spirit, One Team, One Goal,’ this annual month-long event is set to foster relations between colleagues, staff and peers from various private companies that have established themselves in the Sultanate.

This high-spirit sportsfest is a platform to unite employers and employees to interact within companies through sports, to train hard and accomplish as one. It is a get-together by the Labour Department as a way to recognise the contributions and dedication given by tireless members of the workforce, who play a significant role in developing the national economy.

The event will officially kick off with running, which will take place on April 10 at 6am. It will start and end at Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien.

Category A is a 2km fun run. No registration fees is required and it is open to individuals aged 12 and above.

Participants at the starting line of the event last year

Category B is the 10km Men’s Challenge open to male company employees only, while Category C is the 10km Women’s Challenge open to female company employees only. A $5 registration fee will be charged for both categories. First to third place winners will take home medals, on top of a $400 cash prize for first place, $300 for second and $200 for third. All from private companies are welcome to join this friendly tournament.

Various sports such as basketball, badminton, futsal, netball and bowling are also open for participation, with medals and cash prizes to be won.

The event is managed by D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd. Helpful hands involved in making the event possible include the Brunei Darussalam Basketball Association, Brunei Darussalam National Badminton Association, MegaStrike Bowl Sdn Bhd, the National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam and the Brunei Darussalam Netball Association.

For more information, visit the official Sukan Ria Antara Syarikat website at www.sukanriabrunei.com or contact D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd. For regular updates, follow the Facebook (D’Sunlit Sdn Bhd} and lnstagram (@dsunlit and @sukanriabrunei} pages.

Registration forms can be acquired at D’Sunlit’s office and Labour Department and are downloadable from the official Sukan Ria Antara Syarikat website stated above.

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BRUNOTTS Society recently held its 13th BruNotts Easter Games (BEG) at the University Park Campus Sports Centre of the University of Nottingham.

Present as guest of honour at the annual event was Dino bin Haji Ayub, First Secretary of Brunei Darussalam High Commission in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Also in attendance were officers from the Brunei Students’ Unit.

The opening ceremony began with the national anthem followed by the recitation of prayers by BruNotts Religious Officer Awangku Syazwan bin Pengiran Sulaiman.

In his opening speech, BEG Chief Executive Chairperson Ibnu Ayyub bin Haji Mohammad expressed his gratitude to everyone who made it to the event, whether they are participants, volunteers or just supporters of the games.

He also announced the official release of the BruNotts Society phone app that was developed as a means of communication within the society, serving as a platform for BruNotts’ social media feeds which consist of the website, Instagram, and Facebook. Specifically for the event, the app also displayed live updates of BEG fixtures, match results, as well as a portal for the attendees to upload and share their moments of the event via the hashtag #13thBEG2016.

BEG is well known for its motto ‘Let’s meet to compete’. This year, it has once again opened its doors to all Bruneians in the United Kingdom to participate, whether they are students, staff or training in?service, allowing them to demonstrate their skills in the various sports.

Dino bin Haji Ayub, First Secretary of Brunei Darussalam’s High Commission in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland during the ribbon-cutting

Team Black Ops, the BEG Futsal Champions for 2016

BEG committee members are all smiles

The BruNotts Society also thanked the sponsors, without whom it would not be possible to make the event a success. The Gold Sponsor was the Brunei Students’ Unit (UPP), Silver Sponsors were DST and Royal Brunei Airlines, and Bronze Sponsors were the Brunei Gas Carriers (BGC) and Soartech Systems Sdn Bhd. BEG was also supported by the University of Nottingham International Office and Students’ Union.

A special mention made by the chairperson was directed to Muhammad Sahlan Safwan bin Haji Suhaili, the official graphic designer of the event who helped in designing the official BEG logo, banner and shirts.

The event proceeded with the commencement of the competitions in netball, futsal, table tennis and badminton.

In the table tennis open singles, Lim Kok Sheng was crowned the champion with Afiq bin Ajamain securing the first runner up spot and Haji Mohd Shril bin Haji Matsawali grabbing the second runner-up spot.

The netball competition which was held indoors due to unfavourable weather saw the ‘Silver Lightning’ grabbing the champion’s title after they defeated ‘So Don’t’ team in a very exciting final. ‘Chaos’ secured the second runner-up spot after defeating the BruNotts team.

In the badminton men’s singles event, Wong Dee Yeong was crowned the champion followed by Alex Ng as first runnerup and Jonathan Timothy Heng as the second runnerup.

In the badminton men’s doubles category, the team ‘Ayam’ won first place followed by Alex/Wei Jie and ‘Something Funny’ as first and second runner up respectively.

‘Lufbruisers’ emerged as the champion with ‘Lemon Pepper’ and ‘I Don’t Remember’ in the first and second runner up spots respectively in the badminton mixed competition.

The final round of the 5-a-side futsal saw ‘Black Ops’ and ‘Papui’ play a thrilling match with ‘Black Ops’ securing the champion’s title after defeating ‘Papui’ 1-0. In the 3rd and 4th placing match, ‘Scabbies FC’ defeated ‘Team Soton’.

The attendees also had the chance to buy a variety of food from ‘Nottingham Doughnut Co’, ‘Buffalo Brownies’, as well as bubble tea drinks from ‘All Things Sweet’ sold at the food stations with all the proceeds going to a local charity in Brunei.

At the closing ceremony, three special awards were also announced, the first being the Golden Boot Award won by Aliff Zulkifli from ‘Black Ops’.

The second special award went to Rafidah binti Haji Rosli from team ‘Chaos’ for being the ‘Netball Star Player’ and lastly, the ‘Most Helpful Volunteer’ award went to Nur ‘Izzati Firzanah binti Mohamad Yussof. Introduced last year, the ‘Most Helpful Volunteer’ award was established to encourage volunteers to be more proactive in making BEG a success.

The event officially ended with a recitation of a doa by Awangku Syazwan bin Pengiran Sulaiman followed by a commemorative photo session.

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|     James Kon     |

THE Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT) has undertaken a new strategic direction centred on four elements – Growth, Productivity, Export and Sustainability – which correspond to initiatives and programmes under the Asean-Republic of Korea Forest Cooperation (AFoCo), for a sustainable and well-developed country.

The established cooperation in forestry between Brunei, Asean countries and the Republic of Korea (ROK) was highlighted by Dr Haji Abdul Manaf bin Haji Metussin, Permanent Secretary at the MPRT, in his welcoming remarks as the guest of honour during the opening of the 8th Governing Council Meeting of AFoCo at The Rizqun International Hotel on March 29-30.

AFoCo is a regional cooperation mechanism in the forest sector between Asean member countries – including Brunei – and the Republic of Korea, which was initiated as the first step taken after Korea’s proposal for the establishment of the Asia Forest Cooperation Organisation.

“Brunei Darussalam recognised the close relationship between Asean member states and the Republic of Korea under AFoCo agreement, which aimed to have a sustainable forest management cooperation; and recently, as part of its initiative to implement the agreement towards the establishment of Asia Forest Cooperation Organisation,” said Dr Haji Abdul Manaf. “Brunei Darussalam appreciates the efforts by the Republic of Korea, which has been noted as a model country for global sustainability and for its continuous support by sharing its technology, as well as experience, in achieving common vision of sustainable development.”

Dr Haji Abdul Manaf bin Haji Metussin, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism in a group photo with some of the representatives for the 8th Governing Council Meeting of AFoCo. – JAMES KON

The meeting was co-chaired by Dr Henry Bastaman, the Asean Senior Officer of Forestry (ASOF) and the Indonesian leader of ASOF; and Dr Yongkwan Kim, the Director-General of Korean Forest Services.

Through the Forestry Department, Brunei Darussalam is actively participating in regional programmes on improving forest resource assessment, boosting the involvement of local communities to address the adverse impact of climate change and capacity-building for a landscape approach to support the sustainable natural resources management in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore.

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|     James Kon     |

TO PROMOTE cooperation between Brunei Darussalam and China, 10 Chinese volunteers are currently serving as teaching assistants at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) in the fields of medicine, accounting and Chinese language.

The volunteers from the Canton Province of China came to the Sultanate as part of Phase II of the Chinese Volunteer Programme which was launched in 2012 and has been going on since August last year.

Seven of the volunteers – Guowei He (group leader), Haijian He, Daoxing Zou, Xiaohua Chen, Xiaojun Zhong, Yun’ao Ma and Shuzhen Wu – are working at the Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences (PAPRSB IHS) while Tang Lin and Ting Luo are at the School of Business and Economics and Yiqin Lou at the Language Centre of the UBD.

In addition to their responsibilities at UBD, these volunteers also take part in community works by visiting Pusat Ehsan twice a month.

Dato Paduka Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism with Yang Jian, trying out Chinese calligraphy. – PHOTOS: JAMES KON

The Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism with Yang Jian, the Chinese Ambassador to Brunei Darus-salam and the Chinese volunteers in a group photo

“Brunei is a green jewel where there are vast areas of pristine jungles and the people here are very friendly and courteous,” said Guowei He.

Before coming to the sultanate, “we didn’t know much about Brunei. It’s like a mysterious country to us,” he added.

“Since our arrival, we have made many Bruneian friends, and now are looking to build further friendships to have a better understanding of the Bruneian culture. We visited the Water Village and had the opportunity to see crocodiles. We tasted ambuyat which is so good. It is amazing spending life here.”

On the visit to Pusat Ehsan, he said, “We wanted to gain an insight into the system of special education in the country. We are impressed to see such energetic students at Pusat Ehsan and have learned various skills at the centre.”

The Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism, Dato Paduka Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, yesterday visited the Chinese volunteers’ booth which they set up as part of the BIMP-EAGA Culture and Food Expo at The Airport Mall.

Also present were Yang Jian, the Chinese Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam, and officials from the embassy.

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|     Azlan Othman     |

IT IS a policy challenge for Brunei Darussalam to reduce its fuel subsidy amid the current economic situation that the sultanate is facing.

This was stated in the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) report on Brunei Darussalam economy on Outlook for 2016 which was published yesterday.

ADB said international studies show that subsidies on fossil fuels and electricity not only impose a burden on government budgets but also divert funds from more productive investments in physical and social infrastructure.

Moreover, subsidies artificially lower the price of energy, encouraging higher consumption and discouraging the development of alternative energy sources. They disproportionately benefit higher-income earners who own cars and air-condition their homes.

The ADB report further said the sharp decline in oil prices provides an opportunity to rein in subsidies without causing steep increases in fuel prices for consumers.

Indeed, subsidies left people with little awareness of the true value of energy, adding that it was important to educate people away from dependence on subsidies and to find innovative alternatives to traditional approaches.

Brunei’s economy is projected to return to growth this year on the assumption that oil and gas production continues to recover gradually as new technology extracts more oil from existing fields and that the government maintains significant investment in infrastructure.

ADB further stated that the gross domestic product for the Sultanate is predicted to edge up by 1.0 per cent this year and accelerate to 2.5 per cent in 2017 if global demand and prices for hydrocarbons start to recover.

Construction will contribute to growth. The $100 million Sungai Kebun Bridge is to be completed this year and construction on a bridge to Pulau Muara Besar, an island in Brunei Bay to be developed as an industrial hub, is expected to run through 2018.

The impact that low oil and gas prices have on government revenue indicates that spending on public services and smaller capital projects will remain constrained. The FY2016 budget cuts total spending by 12.5 per cent from the previous year’s budget, ADB said.

The country’s revenue is projected to fall further and the budget is expected to post another deep deficit in FY2016. The budget puts a higher priority on spending that stimulates the economy, such as construction and maintenance of infrastructure and development of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Accumulated financial assets provide a buffer against declines in revenue. The government will push ahead with efforts to diversify the economy through foreign investment in export-oriented ventures.

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|     Wani Roslan     |

A MEMORANDUM of Agreement (MoA) was signed yesterday, between the publisher and writers of the Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) Press 2016.

The ceremony was held to honour the writers whose books were published in 2015 and 2016, as well as acting as an incentive for UNISSA’s academic staff to be more engaged in doing research and writing.

The guest of honour at the ceremony was Dr Haji Norarfan bin Haji Zainal, the Rector of UNISSA, who was also one of the writers to sign the agreement.

Twenty-seven writers signed the MoA, which was witnessed by Haji Mohammad Asnawi bin Haji Yakib, the Acting Head of Public Relations at UNISSA.

Signing on behalf of the publisher was Dr Hajah Rose binti Abdullah, the Director of Research and Publication; and witnessed by Associate Professor Dr Jilani Ben Touhami Meftah, the Deputy Director of Research and Publication.

The signing of yesterday’s Memorandum of Agreement between 27 writers and the publisher of UNISSA Press aimed to incentivise the institution’s academic staff to do more research and writing. – WANI ROS-LAN

Among the writers were Dr Siti Sara binti Haji Ahmad, Dr Faszliwati binti Haji Mohiddin, Zurairatul Zakiah binti Dato Seri Setia Haji Rajid and Dr Hajah Rose.

Associate Professor Dr Jilani Ben Touhami Meftah said that UNISSA Research and Publication Centre will continue to encourage writers among the academic staff and beyond, to submit their manuscripts for publication.

“In an effort to produce more publications by UNISSA Press, we are hoping to see marketing efforts and the selling of books extended outside Brunei. Already, efforts have been made by sending book catalogues published by UNISSA Press to institutions abroad, as well as to foreign embassies in Brunei Darussalam,” she said.

During yesterday’s signing ceremony, the writers were also presented with certificates, as a token of appreciation.

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