| Fizah HAB |
A DEPARTURE ceremony was held yesterday for the contingent of the 45th Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Programme (SSEAYP), with the youth set to continue their voyage onboard the Nippon Maru and embark for their next port of call, the Philippines.
Attending the send-off was Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Datin Paduka Dr Hajah Norlila binti Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Jalil, the event guest of honour; Acting Director of Youth and Sports and Chairman of the SSEAYP 2018 Working Committee, Haji Zafri bin Haji Mohamed; Japanese Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Motohiko Kato; ASEAN high commissioners and ambassadors to Brunei Darussalam; as well as officers from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports.
The event began with introductory speeches by Nippon Maru Ship Administrator Yamatani Hideyuki and heads of delegations of the 45th SSEAYP delegates. The guest of honour presented souvenirs to the SSEAYP participants.
Datin Paduka Dr Hajah Norlila hoped that the participants got a better insight of Brunei and enjoyed their three-day stay in the country, especially through the homestay programme.
“To our SSEAYP participants, when you take part in the programme, you will find similarities and differences in terms of the cultures and ways of life between one nation and another.
“The important thing is the everlasting friendships that have been built through your participation in the programme,” she said, sharing words of advice with the Brunei delegates.
The SSEAYP, an annual programme sponsored by the Japanese Cabinet Office, aims to promote friendship, understanding and cultural exchange between the youth of the 10 ASEAN member countries and Japan. It brings together 318 youth from ASEAN and Japan onboard the Nippon Maru, where they will go on a 52-day voyage, first embarking from Tokyo, Japan on October 24.
After docking in Brunei, the youth sail to the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, before returning to Tokyo.
