Brunei Royal Family

The Brunei Empire had its golden age from the 15th to the 17th centuries, when its control extended over the entire island of Borneo and north into the Philippines. Brunei was particularly powerful under the fifth sultan, Bolkiah (1473-1521), who was famed for his sea exploits and even briefly captured Manila; and under the ninth sultan, Hassan (1605-19), who fully developed an elaborate Royal Court structure, elements of which remain today. ...

Brunei's legal system is based on English common law, with an independent judiciary, a body of written common law judgments and statutes, and legislation enacted by the sultan. The local magistrates’ courts try most cases. More serious cases go before the High Court, which sits for about 2 weeks every few months. Brunei has an arrangement with the United Kingdom whereby United Kingdom judges are appointed as the judges for Brunei's High Court and Court of Appeal. Final appeal can be made to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London in civil but not criminal cases. Brunei also has a separate system of Islamic courts that apply Sharia law in family and other matters involving Muslims. Brunei is considering merging the common law and Islamic legal systems. ... [Read More]

Brunei

The 1999 Married Women's Law significantly improved the rights of non-Muslim married women with respect to maintenance, property, and domestic violence. The 1999 changes to the Islamic Family Law (particularly in regard to Women's Position in Marriage and Divorce) facilitated divorce proceedings for women and permitted women to retain the family home after their divorce. ...

Brunei Darussalam is a small, wealthy, Islamic country ruled by the same family for over 600 years. A British Protectorate from 1888, it became fully independent and sovereign in 1984. After a failed rebellion in 1962, the then Sultan invoked an article of the Constitution that allowed him to assume emergency powers for 2 years. These powers were renewed regularly, most recently in June 2002 under the present ruler, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. Although not all the articles of the Constitution were suspended, the state of emergency places few limits on the Sultan's power. The Sultan also serves as Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, Minister of Finance, Chancellor of the national university, Superintendent General of the Royal Brunei Police Force, and Head of the Islamic faith. The Constitution does not specifically provide for an independent judiciary and the Sultan appoints all higher court judges and has the authority to remove them, although he ha ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

One of Brunei’s star attractions and a must for all visitors is Jerudong Park. The amusement park was a gift to the people of Brunei by the Royal Family and contains 70 acres of amusement rides and food stalls-all without lines. Attached to the park is the 20-acre Jerudong Park Garden, which displays a nightly water show using colored lights, a laser, and fountains. The Garden also showcases the open-air amphitheater where Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Seal, and Whitney Houston have performed without admission charge as a gift from the Sultan. Next to the park is the luxurious Royal Brunei Golf and Country Club. The club is open for membership. ... [Read More]

Brunei

In 2000, the Government declared its intention to be more transparent. While there has been some minor improvement, the Government continued to restrict and classify as confidential any information on the Government's and the royal family's financial dealings, particularly regarding expenditures, revenues, and incomes. ...

After the detention of two persons involved in disseminating on a locally hosted Internet forum criticism of the Government and the royal family deemed "subversive" by the Government, fear of government surveillance reduced the number of visitors to the few existing forums. The Government also was believed to have periodically blocked access to at least one forum hosted outside the country, although a fourth forum opened early in the year. The country's primary Internet service provider was state owned. ... [Read More]

Brunei

The 1999 Married Women's Law significantly improved the rights of non-Muslim married women with respect to maintenance, property, and domestic violence. The 1999 changes to the Islamic Family Law (particularly in regard to Women's Position in Marriage and Divorce) were expected to improve the marital rights of Muslim women. Recent changes to the family law facilitated divorce proceedings for women and permitted women to retain the family home after their divorce. ... [Read More]

Background Notes Archive - East Asia and the Pacific

Background Notes: Brunei, October 1998Released by the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific AffairsU.S. Department of StateOFFICIAL NAME: Brunei DarussalamPROFILEGeographyArea: 5,769 sq. km. (2,227 sq. mi.), slightly larger than Delaware.Cities: Capital--Bandar Seri Begawan.Terrain: East--flat coastal plains with beaches; west--hilly with a few mountain ridges.Climate: Equatorial; high temperatures, humidity, and rainfall.PeopleNationality: Noun and adjective--Bruneian(s).Population (1998 est.): 320,000.Annual growth rate: 2.5%.Ethnic groups: Malay, Chinese, other indigenous.Religion: Islam.Languages: Malay, English, Chinese; Iban and other indigenous dialects.Education: Years compulsory--9. Literacy--90%. (1996)Health: Life expectancy--74 years. Infant mortality rate(1996)--6.9/1,000. GovernmentType: Sultanate.Independence: January 1, 1984.Constitution: 1959.Branches: Executive--Sultan is both head of state and prime minister, presiding over an 11-member cabinet. Judicial (ba ... [Read More]

Background Notes Archive - East Asia and the Pacific

U.S. Department of State Background Notes: Brunei, November 1995 Bureau of Public Affairs November 1995 Official Name: Brunei Darussalam PROFILE Geography Area: 5,769 sq. km. (2,227 sq. mi.), slightly larger than Delaware. Cities: Capital--Bandar Seri Begawan. Terrain: East--flat coastal plains with beaches; west--hilly with a few mountain ridges. Climate: Equatorial; high temperatures, humidity, and rainfall. People Nationality: Noun and adjective--Bruneian(s). Population (1994): 285,000. Annual growth rate (1994): 2.7%. Ethnic groups: Malay, Chinese, other indigenous. Religion: Islam. Languages: Malay, English, Chinese; Iban and other indigenous dialects. Education: Years compulsory--nine. Literacy--77%. Health: Life expectancy--71 years. Infant mortality rate--25/1,000. Government Type: Sultanate. Independence: January 1, 1984. Constitution: 1959. Branches: Executive--Sultan is both head of state and prime minister, presiding over an 11-member cabinet. Judici ... [Read More]

Background Notes Archive - East Asia and the Pacific

U.S. Department of State Background Notes: Brunei, November 1997 Released by the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.Official Name: Brunei Darussalam PROFILE Geography Area: 5,769 sq. km. (2,227 sq. mi.), slightly larger than Delaware.Cities: Capital--Bandar Seri Begawan. Terrain: East--flat coastal plains with beaches; west--hilly with a few mountain ridges. Climate: Equatorial; high temperatures, humidity, and rainfall.People Nationality: Noun and adjective--Bruneian(s). Population (1996): 305,100. Annual growth rate (1996): 3.1%. Ethnic groups: Malay, Chinese, other indigenous. Religion: Islam. Languages: Malay, English, Chinese; Iban and other indigenous dialects. Education: Years compulsory--nine. Literacy--88.2%. (1995 est.)Health: Life expectancy--71 years. Infant mortality rate--23.8/1,000.(1997)Government Type: Sultanate. Independence: January 1, 1984. Constitution: 1959. Branches: Executive--Sultan is both head of state and prime minister, presid ... [Read More]

Hague Convention on Legalization of Foreign Public Documents

U.S. Department of State [Read More]

Foreign Entry Requirements

MONTENEGRO - Passport required. Visa not required for stays of up to 90 days. For longer stays, contact the Embassy of Serbia and Montenegro, 2134 Kalorama Road, N.W., Washington, DC 20008 (202/332-0333 ext. 103) or the Consulate General of Serbia and Montenegro, 201 East Ohio St., Suite 200, Chicago, Illinois 60611 (312/670-6707 ext. 108). MONTSERRAT - (See West Indies, British) MOROCCO - *Passport required. Visa not required for st ... [Read More]