Capital Of Brunei
Brunei (03/05)
Under Brunei's 1959 constitution, the Sultan is the head of state with full executive authority, including emergency powers since 1962. The Sultan is assisted and advised by five councils, which he appoints. A Council of Ministers, or cabinet, which currently consists of nine members (including the Sultan himself), assists in the administration of the government. The Sultan presides over the cabinet as Prime Minister and also holds the positions of Minister of Defense and Minister of Finance. One of the Sultan's brothers, Prince Mohamed, serves as Minister of Foreign Affairs. ... [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]
Brunei
U.S. Department of State [Read More]
Brunei
Muslims who wish to change or renounce their religion face considerable difficulties. Those born Muslim face official and societal pressure not to leave Islam. Permission from the Ministry of Religious Affairs must be obtained, and there were no reports of anyone requesting such permission. There were instances during the reporting period of persons, often foreign women, who converted to Islam as a prelude to marrying Muslims (as required by Brunei Islamic Law). If the marriages took place, these women faced intense official pressure not to return to their former religions, or were faced with unduly lengthy delays in obtaining permission to do so. There are also known cases of divorced Muslim converts who, because of official and societal pressure, remain officially Muslim although they would prefer to revert to their former faiths. ... [Read More]
US Department Of State Post Report
Soft drinks such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, 7-Up, and Sprite are available. Sales of alcoholic beverages are prohibited, but diplomats are allowed to import limited quantities of beer, wine, and spirits according to an established quota. ClothingLast Updated: 12/2/2003 10:33 AM An extensive summer wardrobe is the only type of clothing necessary for Brunei. Ready-made clothing is limited to small sizes, but can be ordered via mail facilities. Ordering usually takes several weeks. A variety of fabrics are available at reasonable cost, but the selection of buttons, zippers, and other notions are limited. If you enjoy sewing, bring your own patterns. Local dressmakers and tailors have been used with varying degrees of success, but good tailors are expensive. Acceptable dry cleaners exist ... [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]
Brunei
Various laws prohibit the employment of children under the age of 16. Parental consent and approval by the Labor Commission is required for those under the age of 18. Females under age 18 may not work at night or on offshore oil platforms. The Department of Labor (DOL), which is a part of the Ministry of Home Affairs, effectively enforced laws on the employment of children. There were no reports of violations of the child labor laws. ... The country has attempted to institutionalize a form of popular representation based on a traditional system of village chiefs who are elected by secret ballot by all adults. Candidates must be approved by the Government and must be Malay. These leaders are expected to communicate constituents' wishes through a variety of channels, including periodic meetings chaired by the Home Affairs Minister, with several officials appointed by the Sultan. Regular meetings between senior government officials and "Mukim" (a group of villages) representatives allowed for airing of local grievances and concerns. In 2000, the Foreign Minister confirmed that a review of the Constitution was submitted to the Sultan for approval, and that "an element of an election" was in this report. However, at year's end, there had been no word on when the revised Constitution might be forthcoming. ... [Read More]
Brunei
Brunei Darussalam is a small, wealthy Islamic country ruled by the same family for over 600 years. It was a British Protectorate from 1888 until 1959 when a self-governing constitutional monarchy was created, with the British retaining responsibility for foreign affairs and defense until 1984, when the sultanate became a fully independent and sovereign nation. The 1959 Constitution provided for the first delegation of political power by the late Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin to a council of state with popular representation. After a failed rebellion in 1962, the 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 under the present ruler, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. In 2000 the Foreign Minister confirmed that a review of the Constitution was submitted to the Sultan for approval, and that "an element of an election" was in this report. ... [Read More]
Brunei
Muslims who wished to change or renounce their religion faced considerable difficulties. Born Muslims faced official and societal pressure not to leave Islam. Permission from the Ministry of Religious Affairs must be obtained, and there were no reports of anyone requesting such permission. During the year, there were instances of persons, often foreign women, who converted to Islam as a prelude to marrying Muslims, as required by the country's Islamic law. If the marriages took place, these women faced intense official pressure not to return to their former religions or encountered extraordinary delays in obtaining permission to do so. There were cases of divorced Muslim converts who, because of official and societal pressure, remained officially Muslim. ... [Read More]
|