Royal Brunei

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]

East Asia/ Pacific – Educational Advising Centers – EducationUSA

Academic Advising Center, Royal University of Phnom Penh ...

Royal University of Phnom Penh, room 103 ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Text: APEC Finance Ministers Joint Ministerial Statement

The Deputy Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, granted an audience to the APEC Finance Ministers and Representatives of the International Financial Institutions (IFIs). His Royal Highness noted the improvements in the region's economic prospects, but stressed that APEC still had an important role in helping to build stronger foundations in the region. ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

The Royal Regalia Museum houses, appropriately enough, a collection of royal regalia commemorating the Silver Jubilee (1992) of the Sultan’s ascension to the throne. Among the more impressive exhibits are the Royal Chariot, gold and silver ceremonial armory, and the jewel-encrusted crowns used during the coronation. ...

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 September, in addition to reviving the Legislative Council, the Sultan also announced changes to the Constitution that consolidated his executive powers while providing for limited elections to the Legislative Council. Amendments to royal succession to include the Sultan's sons from a second (now divorced) wife also were approved. ...

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. ... [Read More]

Brunei (03/05)

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. ...

In 1967, Sultan Omar abdicated in favor of his eldest son, Hassanal Bolkiah, who became the 29th ruler. The former Sultan remained as Defense Minister and assumed the royal title Seri Begawan. In 1970, the national capital, Brunei Town, was renamed Bandar Seri Begawan in his honor. The Seri Begawan died in 1986. ... [Read More]

Brunei

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]

Brunei

In 2000 two members of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces were sentenced to 4 years' imprisonment and three strokes of the cane for the attempted molestation and sodomy of a 20-year-old deaf girl. ...

Approximately 80,000 foreign nationals worked in the country. There were reports of cases of domestic bondage of foreign domestic workers (see Section 6.c.). There also were isolated reports of employers physically beating domestic employees or not providing them with adequate food. The Government prosecuted some such cases. In May 2001 there were 10 reported cases of maid abuse. In one case, an Indonesian maid collapsed at the International Airport while her employer, a captain with the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, was attempting to repatriate her. After being hospitalized, the maid claimed she was subjected to persistent assaults and ill treatment by both her employer and his spouse who allegedly used a hammer to fracture her teeth, ironed her hand with a hot iron for working too slowly, and fractured her ribs by kicking her. The captain also had incarcerated her at a guard "lock-up" room for allegedly stealing. No new information was available at year's end. ... [Read More]