|     Hakim Hayat     |

A FOREIGN national remains missing while another passenger sustained injuries following a mishap between two passenger boats at the Brunei River yesterday.

The accident occurred near the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha Bridge, according to the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF).

One passenger boat was carrying three foreigners while the other had two passengers who are reportedly unharmed.

Police in their statement did not disclose the nationalities of the foreigners. According to initial reports from the Fire and Rescue Department, the missing passenger is believed to be a Nepalese.

Search and rescue operations involving the Marine Police, Fire and Rescue Department and personnel from the Kampong Ayer Police Station are underway.

Police said the missing passenger was not wearing a life jacket and urged the public to relay information or suspicious discoveries around the vicinity to the police hotline 993 or the nearest police station.

MUMBAI (AFP) – Indian police said yesterday they had filed a negligence case against Mumbai’s civic and railway authorities after a footbridge collapsed killing six people and injuring dozens more.

The bridge, which was under repair, gave away around 7.30pm on Thursday as rush hour commuters made their way into Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus.

It was the latest accident to highlight creaking infrastructure in India’s financial capital and came almost two years after 23 people died in a crush on a narrow overcrowded footbridge at another station.

Three women and three men, aged between 32 and 55, died in Thursday’s tragedy. Another 33 people were injured.

Indian media reported that three who succumbed to their injuries were nurses. Two of them died at the hospital where they worked after doctors were unable to save them.

Mumbai police spokesman Manjunath Singe said in a WhatsApp message to journalists that a first information report had been registered against officials for “causing death by negligence”.

Social media users took to Twitter to vent their anger at the authorities.

“People have to suffer without even (the) most basic infrastructure. When will (local authority) BMC and railways ever learn?” wrote Srini Swaminathan.

Twenty-three people died in a stampede at Prabhadevi station in the centre of the city in September 2017.

Indian railway officials blamed bad weather despite commuter warnings before the tragedy of a disaster waiting to happen.

Experts pointed the finger of blame at the railway network’s creaking infrastructure, which has long struggled to cope with several million daily passengers.

About 7.5 million passengers commute in nearly 2,500 trains daily on Mumbai’s colonial-era rail network, a lifeline for the city’s 20 million residents.

An average of almost 10 people die on the suburban railway every day, either from falling off crowded trains or while crossing the tracks.

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 has consented to send a message of condolences to Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern following attacks on Linwood Mosque and Masjid Al-Noor in Christchurch, New Zealand that claimed the lives of innocent people and injured many others.

In the message, His Majesty stated that Brunei joins the international community in condemning all acts of violence against civilians in places of worship in the strongest of terms and stands with the people and Government of New Zealand in this challenging time.

In ending the message, His Majesty together with the people of Brunei send their deepest condolences and sympathies to the bereaved families affected by this tragedy.

BEIJING (AP) — China’s number two leader yesterday denied Beijing tells its companies to spy abroad, refuting United States warnings that Chinese technology suppliers might be a security risk.

Premier Li Keqiang’s comment at a news conference was the government’s highest-level rejection of accusations Chinese companies might spy on foreign customers.

Asked whether Beijing told Chinese companies to spy, Li said, “Let me tell you explicitly that this is not consistent with Chinese law. This is not how China behaves. We did not do that and will not do that in the future.”

The United States and some other governments have imposed curbs on use of technology from Chinese vendors including Huawei Technologies Ltd as possible security risks.

Huawei, the biggest global maker of network gear for phone and internet companies, has denied accusations it facilitates Chinese spying.

Huawei’s founder told reporters this year he would reject government requests to disclose confidential information about foreign customers.

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will soon decide whether to continue diplomatic talks and maintain his moratorium on missile launches and nuclear tests, a senior North Korean official said yesterday, adding that the United States (US) threw away a golden opportunity at the recent summit between their leaders.

Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, addressing a meeting of diplomats and foreign media, including The Associated Press, in Pyongyang said the North was deeply disappointed by the failure of the two sides to reach any agreements at the Hanoi summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump.

She said Pyongyang now has no intention of compromising or continuing talks unless the US takes measures that are commensurate to the changes it has taken — such as the 15-month moratorium on launches and tests — and changes its “political calculation.”

Choe, who attended the February 27-28 talks in Hanoi, said Kim was puzzled by what she called the “eccentric” negotiation position of the US. She suggested that while Trump was more willing to talk, an atmosphere of hostility and mistrust was created by the uncompromising demands of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton. She said statements by senior Trump advisers since the summit have further worsened the climate.

Even so, she said personal relations between the two leaders are still good “and the chemistry is mysteriously wonderful”.

She said it was entirely up to Kim whether to continue the launch and test moratorium, and said she expects he will “clarify his position” within a short period of time.

“On our way back to the homeland, our chairman of the state affairs commission said. ‘For what reason do we have to make this train trip again?’” she said. “I want to make it clear that the gangster-like stand of the US will eventually put the situation in danger. We have neither the intention to compromise with the US in any form nor much less the desire or plan to conduct this kind of negotiation.”

Choe questioned the claim by Trump at a news conference after the talks in Hanoi broke down that the North was seeking the lifting of all sanctions against it, and said it was seeking only the ones that are directed at its civilian economy. After the summit had ended, State Department officials clarified that was indeed the North’s position, but said the lifting of economic sanctions was such a big demand that it would essentially subsidise the North’s continued nuclear activity.

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — At least 49 people were killed in mass shootings at two mosques full of worshippers attending Friday prayers on what the Prime Minister called “one of New Zealand’s darkest days”.

One man was arrested and charged with murder in what appeared to be a carefully planned racist attack. Police also defused explosive devices in a car. Two other armed suspects were being held in custody. Police said they were trying to determine how they might be involved.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the events in Christchurch represented “an extraordinary and unprecedented act of violence”, and that many of the victims could be migrants or refugees.

“It is clear that this can now only be described as a terrorist attack,” Ardern said.

In addition to the dead, health officials said 48 people were being treated at Christchurch Hospital for gunshot wounds. Injuries ranged from minor to critical.

Police took three men and a woman into custody after the shootings, which shocked people across the nation of five million people. Police later said one of the arrests did not relate to the shootings.

While there was no reason to believe there were any more suspects, Ardern said the national security threat level was raised from low to high, the second-highest level.

National carrier Air New Zealand cancelled at least 17 flights in and out of Christchurch, saying it could not properly screen customers and their baggage following the shootings.

Police said the investigation had extended 360 kilometres to the south, where homes in Dunedin were evacuated around a “location of interest”. A police statement gave no further detail of how it might be linked to the attacks.

Authorities have not specified who they detained, but said none had been on any watch list. A man who claimed responsibility for the shootings left a 74-page anti-immigrant manifesto in which he explained who he was and his reasoning for the attack. He said he was a 28-year-old white Australian and a racist.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed that one of the people detained was an Australian-born citizen.

Police Commissioner Mike Bush said yesterday that a man had been charged with murder. He did not say whether police believed the same shooter was responsible for both attacks.

Ardern alluded at a news conference to anti-immigrant sentiment as the possible motive, saying that while many people affected by the shootings may be migrants or refugees, “They have chosen to make New Zealand their home, and it is their home. They are us.”

The deadliest attack occurred at the Masjid Al-Noor in central Christchurch at about 1.45pm, when 41 people were killed.

Witness Len Peneha said he saw a man dressed in black enter the mosque and then heard dozens of shots, followed by people running from the mosque in terror.

Peneha, who lives next door to the mosque, said the gunman ran out of the mosque, dropped what appeared to be a semi-automatic weapon in his driveway, and fled. He said he then went into the mosque to try to help.

He said he helped about five people recover in his home. He said one was slightly injured.

“I’ve lived next door to this mosque for about five years and the people are great, they’re very friendly,” he said. “I just don’t understand it.”

He said the gunman was white and was wearing a helmet with some kind of device on top, giving him a military-type appearance.

A video that was apparently livestreamed by the shooter shows the attack in horrifying detail. The gunman spends over two minutes inside the mosque spraying terrified worshippers with bullets again and again, sometimes re-firing at people he had already shot down.

He then walks outside to the street, where he shoots at people on the sidewalk. Children’s screams can be heard in the distance as he returns to his car to get another rifle.

The gunman then walks back into the mosque, where there are at least two dozen people lying on the ground. After walking back outside and shooting a woman there and he gets back in his car. During a second shooting at the Linwood Mosque about five kilometres from the Masjid Al-Noor, seven people were killed.

One more person died later at Christchurch Hospital.

SYDNEY (AFP) – Australia has denied a visa to right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos after his provocative comments to the mosque massacre in New Zealand officials said yesterday.

“Milo Yiannopoulos will not be allowed to enter Australia for his proposed tour this year,” Immigration Minister David Coleman said in a statement.

“Mr Yiannopoulos’ comments on social media regarding the Christchurch terror attack are appalling and foment hatred and division,” he said.

Australian media has reported that the government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison already decided in March not to grant a visa to Yiannopoulos, but then changed its position after protests from conservatives in the ruling Liberal Party.

The government normally declines to comment on individual visa decisions, but made an exception yesterday in light of the global outrage over the killing of 49 Muslims in New Zealand by an Australian-born right-wing extremist.

The move came after Yiannopoulos posted comments on Facebook that said attacks like the New Zealand massacre happen because of the government’s immigration policy

Cameron countered that the “terrorist attack in Christchurch was carried out on Muslims peacefully practising their religion”.

“It was an act of pure evil,” he said.

|     Aziz Idris     |

RECOGNISING the importance of strengthening education and training for national development, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has managed to establish several collaborations with higher learning institutions from within and outside Brunei.

Such collaboration and partnership are often officiated through the Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) or Memorandums of Agreements (MoAs) to provide the framework which detailed proposals for education and training interactions between concerned parties on the basis of reciprocity and mutual benefit.

According to Minister of Education Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin haji Sulaiman, the MoUs and MoAs signed between overseas institutions of higher education and local universities have proven to be fruitful.

During sixth day of the 15th Legislative Council meeting yesterday, the minister shared that a total of 672 foreign students have joined the various programmes conducted by higher educational institution in Brunei last year.

Out of the total, 415 students are from ASEAN member countries whereas 257 students are from countries outside ASEAN.

He said this in response to a question posed by Legislative Council member Yang Berhormat Khairunnisa binti Awang Haji Ash’ari regarding the success rate of the educational MoUs and MoAs signed with global institutions.

To add to the response, the minister also shared that Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) is also the first in Asia for outbound student mobility for the second year in a row. UBD also achieved top 20 position in five categories of the QS Asian University Rankings, marking an improvement from last year’s where it was top 25 in the same categories.

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AFP) – New Zealand’s Prime Minister vowed yesterday to toughen the country’s gun laws after revealing the alleged shooter behind Christchurch’s mosque attacks had legally bought the five weapons, including two semi-automatic rifles, used in the massacre.

The nation’s firearms laws are lax compared to neighbouring Australia, which enacted a strict gun control regime in the wake of a similar massacre in 1996.

Jacinda Ardern said 28-year-old Australian Brenton Tarrant obtained a “Category A” gun licence in November 2017 which allowed him to purchase the weapons used to mow down worshippers in two Christchurch mosques.

Some of the guns appear to have been modified to make them more deadly, she said, adding that a ban on semi-automatic weapons would be considered.

“The mere fact… that this individual had acquired a gun licence and acquired weapons of that range, then obviously I think people will be seeking change, and I’m committing to that,” she told a press conference.

“I can tell you one thing right now – our gun laws will change.”

Ardern confirmed that the suspected gunman and two associates who were also arrested had not been on the radar of any intelligence agencies for extremism.

“I have asked our agencies this morning to work swiftly on assessing whether there was any activity on social media or otherwise, that should have triggered a response. That work is already underway,” she said.

The head of the New Zealand Police Association, Chris Cahill, welcomed Ardern’s comments and said previous attempts to introduce gun controls had failed partly because of diehard opponents to reform.

“I believe many New Zealanders will be aghast that in our country someone can amass a cache of weapons like that discovered in this Christchurch tragedy,” he said in a statement.

“There is no place in the upcoming debate for the radical gun lobby which has made its presence felt in previous attempts to make our country safer.”

He highlighted the “bitter irony” that the alleged Australian shooter would not have been able to buy the same weapons in his home country.

At least one of the weapons used by Tarrant was reportedly an AR-15 – the same semi-automatic rifle used in a number of mass shootings in the United States, including the 2012 Sandy Hook school killings in Connecticut.

Families of the Sandy Hook victims were recently given the green light to sue US gunmaker Remington for knowingly marketing a military grade weapon that is “grossly unsuited” for civilian use and has become the gun of choice for mass killings.

But despite the horror of the Christchurch shootings, some local residents who AFP spoke with yesterday warned against any drastic moves on gun control.

“Let’s hope there are no knee-jerk reactions,” said Matthew Simmonds. “Just because a lot of people are killed on the roads we don’t ban cars. There needs to be a proper investigation.”

New Zealand tightened its gun laws to restrict access to semi-automatic rifles in 1992, two years after a mentally ill man shot dead 13 people in the southern town of Aramoana.

But subsequent efforts to tighten the laws, including a ban on semi-automatic weapons, have stalled in parliament.

Anyone over 16 can apply for a New Zealand firearms licence, valid for 10 years after completing a safety course and a police background check.

Most guns do not require registration under New Zealand’s Arms Act and police do not know “how many legally or illegally owned firearms there are in New Zealand,” police said last year.

In 2014, police estimated there were up to 1.2 million legal firearms in civilian ownership, or around one for every four members of the public – twice the per capita number of guns in Australia.

Separate “endorsements” are required to own semi-automatic weapons, as well as pistols and other restricted weapons but police and firearms experts have pointed to several loopholes.

|     Rokiah Mahmud     |

THE Ministry of Education (MoE) has set up a committee to manage the School Education Fund, a crowdfunding platform through which members of the public can donate or contribute cash to help schools purchase teaching aids and other operational
necessities.

Minister of Education Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman made note of this at the Legislative Council (LegCo) meeting yesterday.

LegCo member Yang Berhormat Khairunnisa binti Haji Ash’ari’s suggestion to set up a designated school fund to help schools and teachers purchase necessary school equipment or teaching aids.

Such a fund is needed, she reasoned, because many of the teachers usually use their own money to purchase teaching aids.

On Yang Berhormat Khairunnisa’s question on which ministry carries out the coordination of maintenance work at schools shared by the MoE and the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA), the Minister of Education explained, “The coordination is done by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The MoE provides full cooperation for school maintenance, while simultaneously catering to the administration needs of religious schools using the MoE’s primary schools, such as building extensions.”

Adding his comments to this issue, Minister of Religious Affairs Yang Berhormat Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang Badaruddin bin Pengarah Dato Paduka Haji Awang Othman said, “Out of 143 religious schools in the country, only 38 have their own buildings, while the rest are [operating on the premises of] primary schools under the MoE.

“Therefore the MoRA will always continue to cooperate with the MoE in carrying out maintenance at the schools.”

|     Azlan Othman & Rokiah Mahmud     |

GOVERNMENT scholarship students who are bonded are not allowed to work outside the country. They are only allowed to work either with the government or private sector in the country.

However, the matter will be further reviewed for reducing the unemployment rate among Brunei graduates, Minister of Education Yang Berhormat Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman said at the Legislative Council (LegCo) meeting yesterday.

He was responding to a question by Legislative Council (LegCo) member Yang Berhormat Khairunnisa binti Haji Ash’ari on reviewing bonds for overseas graduates so that they could work abroad if not offered employment in the country.

She added that the chances of these graduates getting job offers overseas were high.

Yang Berhormat Khairunnisa said it brings benefits to the government if the bonded students are able to work overseas and a loss to the nation if they are unemployed for a longer period.

On a similar issue echoed by LegCo Yang Berhormat Siti Rozaimeriyanty binti Dato Seri Laila Jasa Haji Abdul Rahman, the Minister of Education said to break the bond, there must be a win-win solution benefitting the nation and the student.

The government invests a lot of money in awarding the student with an overseas scholarship. The nation is also encouraging the students to venture into entrepreneurship to assist the economy using facilities available in the country.

|     Azlan Othman     |

THE Ministry of Education (MoE) has been allocated a proposed budget of BND735,331,970 for the financial year 2019/2020.

This consists of a total of BND510,541,710 for staff salaries, BND224,810,200 for recurring expenses, and BND19,582,660 for development expenditure, Minister of Education Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman disclosed when going through a lengthy budget proposal for the ministry on the sixth day of the 15th Legislative Council meeting yesterday.

“The progress of a nation depends on its education. If the country’s education is excellent, so will its people because they are sowed by knowledge,” he said, thanking 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 government for prioritising education every year despite the challenging economic situation.

“The ministry, therefore, supported the budget theme for this year, ‘Investment Towards the Future’, as investments in education are prerequisites for a prosperous nation and the people’s progress.”

The minister highlighted that these investments have begun to reap positive results, with the country showing great results for the 2018 academic year.

In the Primary School Assessment (PSR) examinations for example, government school candidates who achieved A-C grades in five subjects have increased by 10.03 per cent from 2014, since the inception of the Lower Education Initiative and Secondary Education Initiative.

For the GCE ‘O’ Levels, 36.69 per cent of candidates earned at least five ‘O’ levels, the highest achievement Brunei has seen so far.

For the GCE ‘A’ Level, 75.55 per cent school candidates earned three ‘A’ levels, an increase of 5.49 per cent from 2017, the highest in five years.

Meanwhile, at the higher education level, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) was ranked 349th globally under the QS World University Ranking, with Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) placed 442nd in the same index.

These improvements provide the MoE the encouragement to continue its work to improve the standard of education in the country and raise the quality of students. It aims to do so by spending prudently and implementing education programmes through cost-effective steps, while delivering maximum results.

Toward this end, the minister pointed out, the ministry has devised the Strategic Plan 2018- 2022, which consists of three strategic objectives: transforming existing human resources to a culture-based achievement; providing equal and equitable access to quality education; and enhancing accountability sharing with stakeholders in the development of teaching and learning.

“The ministry will design and implement a comprehensive human resource development strategy to cover every level of education – primary, secondary, technical and vocational, university – and this will cater to the officers and staff of the ministry,” he said.

“This will involve the implementation of capacity-building programmes, human resource competency, energy resource management system and evaluation systems.”

Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah also outlined projects that will be implemented in the financial year 2019/2020 under these strategic objectives.

These include continuing the project to bring in experts and skilled teachers for the Literacy and Numeracy Coaching Programmes; deve-lopment of competence and assessment framework for teachers and leaders for primary, secondary, special education, technical education and vocational education; reviewing the recruitment and selection of teachers; reviewing and expediting the process of placement of teachers’ positions; implementation of training programmes to build competency based on competence; and assessment of manpower and additional staff deployment to schools.

The minister said that under objective two of providing equal and equitable access to quality education, the ministry will carry out a few steps.

“The first is to enhance the quality of early childhood education. The second is to strengthen the delivery of basic education, which is primary and secondary education,” he said. “This will cover the development of student learning proficiency, enhancement of curriculum, strengthening assessment, provi-sion of adequate education infrastructure and provision of ICT services for education.

“The third step is to improve the quality of post-secondary education and broaden access to it. The fourth step is for students who are at risk and underprivileged to be given priority attention by the ministry.

“The final step is to improve life-long learning by developing a framework, guidance, and providing entry into lifelong learning programmes.”

To achieve these goals, the minister said that major projects will be implemented for the financial year 2019/2020, namely curriculum revisions which will look at the development of literacy standards for Malay Language, Science, Digital and Finance to respond to the needs of the Fourth Industrial Revolution; and the implementation of Students Assessment Tracker to assess students’ skills in primary and secondary levels in reading, writing, numeracy and science.

These projects will also include the provision of intervention programmes based on assessment to support School-Based Assessment (SBA) and Students Assessment Tracker (SAT) at primary and secondary schools; enhancing safety and health in educational institutions with comprehensive maintenance implementation through the Facilities Project Management; implementation of the Nutrition Programme under the Hope Programme; availing the services of the Centre of Excellence (COE) to students with special needs; and improving networking and ICT connectivity in schools.

The minister also shared projects under the 2019/2020 plan, which include technical and vocational education scholarships; Science College Project in Kuala Belait; upgrading of the government school network infrastructure and national education management system; reconstruction of Sultan Hassan Secondary School in Temburong; construction of additional buildings at Menglait Secondary School, Sultan Abdul Bubin Primary School in Sungai Besar, Bendahara Sakam Bunut Primary School, Batu Marang Religious School, Orang Kaya Setia Bakti Kilanas Primary School and Sengkurong Primary School.

Under the third objective of the Strategic Plan, which is to enhance accountability sharing with stakeholders with regard to teaching and learning, the minister said that the MoE’s main focus for the financial year 2019/2020 is to strengthen engagement with stakeholders internally and externally by reviewing the existing education structure and administration to create more effective execution and monitoring of education plans.

The initiatives planned for this purpose, he said, will “enhance collaboration and strengthen integration with parents and guardians, communities, other ministries, government agencies and NGOs, as well as relevant international organisations”.

“Key projects to be undertaken under objective three are the development of a comprehensive educational data management system using big data and business intelligence, to make data usage easier for students, teachers, school leaders, parents, the ministry, government agencies, the community and the various stakeholders,” he said.

Other projects to be carried out include the implementation of the AgroBiz Project, a joint venture agricultural project between  Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE) and LiveWIRE Brunei; an international joint venture with 24 Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (SEAMEO) Regional Centres; sharing of Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA) study outcome 2018; and development of an online payment system for the payment of fees for examinations such as the GCE ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels.

“These three strategic objectives of the MoE are designed to enable the ministry to lead the development of our generation to be ready to weather the effects of the Industry 4.0,” the minister said.

|     Rokiah Mahmud     |

SIXTY-EIGHT government scho-ols and higher learning insti-tutions inspected by the Fire and Rescue Department from 2017 until this year for compliance with the Fire and Safety Order have unfortunately failed the checks.

Legislative Council member Yang Berhormat Siti Rozaime-riyanty binti Dato Seri Laila Jasa Haji Abdul Rahman highlighted this at the 15th Legislative Council (LegCo) meeting yesterday, noting that the findings are particularly concerning as “fire safety is a matter which needs to be taken seriously”.

She shared that during the dialogue session held last year between LegCo members and the Ministry of Education, there was a provision of a budget for asset management and maintenance for government buildings, to ensure that the premises are fire-safe and comply with the Fire and Safety Order.

The LegCo member asked about the percentage of these buildings that have had maintenance works done under this budget.

In response, Minister of Education Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman explained that work has been carried out at the aforementioned schools to ensure they are fire-safe.

“However, these maintenance works need to comply with the financial regulation process and the implementation of the [maintenance] projects,” the minister said.

“Therefore the process will take some time and will be carried out within the financial year 2019/2020.”

|     James Kon     |

THE search and rescue operation for the Nepalese man who fell into the Brunei River near the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha Bridge continued yesterday.

The man was reported missing after he fell into the river on Friday.

The Fire and Rescue Department personnel from the Diving Unit and Sungai Kebun Fire Station are conducting the search operation for the missing man.

Commanding Officer of ‘D’ Operation Branch Senior Superintendent of Fire Rescue Abdul Hadi Zulfadli bin Haji Yahya said the man was thrown into the Brunei River after two boats collided.

Another passenger sustained injuries on his right finger.

An Incident Command Post has been set up at the Sungai Kebun Fire Station.

The Fire and Rescue Department reminded the public, especially boat operators, tourists, fishermen and passengers of boats, to always wear life jackets and switch on a light while at night and during bad weather.

The public can contact the fire and rescue emergency line on 995.

|     Danial Norjidi     |

THE public and the government should pool their ideas and work together towards making Brunei a ‘zero bullying’ country.

The suggestion was put forward by Speaker of the Legislative Council Yang Ber-hormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Lela Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Dato Setia Haji Mohamed Taib in the afternoon session of the 15th Legislative Council meeting yesterday.

During the session, Legislative Council member and Penghulu of Mukim Bokok Yang Berhormat Haji Emran bin Haji Sabtu queried about the efforts made by schools – in particular their counselling units and guidance counsellors – in dealing with the issue of bullying, and asked whether the Ministry of Education (MoE) has undertaken any steps to review its existing regulations on the problem, for example to achieve tighter enforcement of the rules and introducing more severe punishments.

He also opined that parents, the students’ peers, community leaders and school leaders can help reduce the prevalence of bullying if they cooperate with each other.

Minister of Education Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sulaiman, in response, said, “The ministry in collaboration with schools and other government agencies has already set up various programmes to increase awareness among schoolchildren and teachers regarding the issue of bullying, and this has also been shared with parents, the students’ peers and others [individuals concerned with the students’ welfare].”

He thanked Yang Berhormat Awang Haji Emran for giving his support to parents and the community at large to help minimise bullying.

“Regarding the censuring of offenders or bullies, it will be looked info,” he said. “However it must be taken into account also that bullying is common among children. In enforcing the rules, this factor must be taken into account.”

Minister of Health Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar added, “The Ministry of Health (MoH) works closely with the MoE to address this problem.”

He shared that the MoH believes in fostering emotional well-being and resilience at an early age.

Because of this, he says, the ministry launched the ‘Brunei Bebas Buli’ (Bully-free Brunei) programme through the Health Promotion Centre on July 21, 2018.

A collaboration between the MoH and the MoE, the programme includes activities such as training workshop for teachers, school counsellors, students and parents selected by primary and secondary schools nationwide, as well as roadshows held during Bandarku Ceria, Mukim Sihat and other public events.

The minister noted that the MoH will also be hosting a Brunei Bebas Buli walkathon to further promote the campaign.

“Twelve schools from the Brunei-Muara District – six primary and six secondary schools – participated in the Brunei Bebas Buli workshop in 2018,” he said.

“In addition, as a result of collaboration with Projek Assalamualaikum, a group of young officers who participated in the Young Executive Programme at the Civil Service Institute, four schools – two primary and two secondary – in the Brunei-Muara District also successfully ran Bully-Free Awareness days at their respective schools.

“Insya Allah, this Brunei Bebas Buli programme will be spread to all schools in stages in the other districts, beginning with Tutong next April and then Belait and Temburong in July and September this year.”

Legislative Council member Yang Berhormat Iswandy bin Ahmad highlighted that more needs to be done at the grassroots level to tackle the problem.

He acknowledged the anti-bullying programmes being carried out by the ministries and other groups such as those from the Young Executive Programme.

Yang Berhormat Iswandy asked whether the Brunei Bebas Buli programme has been run at the village and community levels, saying, “Here is where we can think about whether this programme can be spread to the grassroots level, and I feel that this can be emulated.”

“I would like the public to unite with the government in admitting that this is our problem and we should unite to eradicate it,” Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Lela Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman said in his remarks.

“This is where, I think, we should unite our ideas and efforts to make Brunei ‘Zero Bullying’.”

|     Azlan Othman & Aziz Idris     |

SEVERAL areas in the Brunei-Muara District experienced localised hazy conditions due to bush and forest fires yesterday.

The fires were scattered mostly in the Rimba area, Lambak Kanan and some at the Muara-Tutong Highway near the Berakas Forest Reserve.

Meanwhile, thick smog has blanketed areas around the Tungku Link yesterday with forest fires raging in areas near Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) and around Rimba.

The UTB contacted by the Sunday Bulletin said their Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) Department had sent precautions via email to its staff and students on the forest fire near the campus, urging them to take precautionary measures during their stay at the campus.

They had also put up a health advisory.

Photos of forest fires near the two institutions went viral yesterday. Fire engines from the Fire and Rescue Department were seen at the scene dousing the forest fire which spread to a wider area.

Members of the public complained about the smell of the burning forest and dusts that settled at their housing compounds and cars. “My car is covered with dust which also entered my housing scheme. Such condition was even reported from the capital yesterday,” Iman from Kampong Jangsak said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation (JASTRe) in a press release said the Fire and Rescue Department was monitoring the fire situation.

The public can report about incidences of bush and forest fires to the Fire and Rescue Department on hotline 995.

The department also advised the public to refrain from open burning and other similar activities that may worsen the haze conditions during the dry period.

The department also referred to a video of a forest fire spread through social media, said this incident did not happen here.

The Fire and Rescue Department stated that it is an offence to disseminate unverified information, especially if it is fake and fabricated and causes anxiety under the current law of the Public Order Act, Cap 148 Section 34 which states that whoever either orally or in writing or in any way, distributes misleading reports or makes false statements that can cause anxiety among the public is liable to imprisonment of three years and a fine of BND3,000.

The Fire and Rescue Department advised the public not to spread any videos related to bush or forest fires. For information on bush and forest fire the public can contact the Public Relations Department on 2380402/409 extension 111 during office hours.

Statistics of bush and forest fires received by the Fire and Rescue Department from January – March 15 indicate that 214 calls have been received in the Brunei-Muara District, 89 in Tutong, 161 in Belait and one in Temburong.

A forest and bush fire gutted a house in Kampong Madewa on February 14 while on February 17 damaged an empty and old house in Kampong Terunjing Baru.

An investigation revealed the fire was due to abandonment.

The Fire and Rescue Department urged the public not to carry out open burning to clean the area for cultivation, at homes or other areas such as construction sites that may be vulnerable and can cause a major fire and destroy property.

One should also put out cigarette butts.

Hunting enthusiasts or those conducting activities or recreation in forests, should avoid lighting fires.

If fires are lit, the fire and ashes should be completely doused before leaving the area.

Picnickers were also urged to douse fires lit by them before leaving. Drivers were also requested to reduce the speed limit when crossing the road near a forest fire area, as the smoke can reduce visibility and cause an accident.

The public was also urged to put out minor bush fires along the roadside taking care of their safety first.

Meanwhile, JASTRe stated that the Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) readings recorded from all the air quality monitoring stations (Particulate Matter 10) in the four districts were relatively higher than normal, from ‘Good’ to ‘Moderate’ level especially in the evening.

The PSI readings recorded yesterday (as of 5pm) for Brunei-Muara District was at 63; Belait District, 21; Temburong District, 38; and Tutong District, 21.

PSI reading below 50 is Good. PSI between 50 and 100 is Moderate.

The Ministry of Health advised the public that at moderate PSI readings (between 50 and 100), minor health effects such as cough, eye irritation and runny nose may be experienced and children with asthma, lung and heart diseases advised to reduce outdoor physical activities.

More information on PSI readings is available at www.env.gov.bn.

The public will be kept informed of the air quality situa-tion through Radio Television Brunei stations and the JASTRe website.

The Fire and Rescue Department is closely monitoring the fire situation.

The public is advised to report immediately any incidences of bush and forest fires to the Fire and Rescue Department at the hotline 995 and Darussalam hotline on 123.

The JASTRe can also be contacted on 2241262 ext 4405 during office hours.

For weather information and forecasts, the public can visit the Brunei Darussalam Meteorological Department’s website www.met.gov.bn.

The Ministry of Health will continue to monitor the haze and will provide information to the public from time to time.

Further information can be obtained by calling Darussalam hotline 123 or visiting the Ministry of Health’s website.

|     Rokiah Mahmud     |

MINISTER of Transport and Infocommunications Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Yusof yesterday shared statistics on road accidents involving cyclists collected by the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) and Brunei Insurance Takaful Association (BITA).

“In 2016 there were nine accidents, while in 2017, 15 accidents were recorded, including one fatality. For 2018 there were eight accidents,” he said. “From these statistics we can observe that there is a downward trend in accidents involving cyclists in the past three years – a decrease of roughly 50 per cent from the years prior.”

The government has carried out a number of efforts to make the country’s highways more bike-friendly for cyclists, he said.

One of these is the Share Road Campaign initiative led by the Brunei Darussalam National Road Safety Council (MKKJR) in collaboration with strategic partners, where cyclists are allowed to cycle on the main roads on a 1.5m-wide cycling lane, the minister said.

The minister noted this in response to member of the Legislative Council (LegCo) Yang Berhormat Haji Ramli bin Haji Lahit’s question on the issue of cyclists using the highway.

“Under this Share Road Initiative, cyclists are advised to follow a number of rules, such as wearing bright coloured outfits especially at night, using white headlamps for their bikes in the front and red ones at the back, installing bells or horns on their bikes, always riding on the left side of the road, and follow the traffic flow and ride safely on the road,” he said.

For the long-term, the minister added, the ministry through the MKKJR is coordinating efforts together with a number of other ministries, including the Ministry of Development, to make the road infrastructure in the country more bike-friendly.

The efforts will encompass aspects of road safety and connectivity, including safety for all road users, drivers and passengers of vehicles, and other users such as motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians.

There are also plans to set up a Highway Management Communications hotline specifically targetted at cycling enthusiasts. In the meantime, the public may use the general and existing emergency hotlines to get prompt help for any emergency situation on the roads, Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Abdul Mutalib said.

To lodge complaints on traffic offences, the minister advised the public to contact the Darussalam hotline at 123 or contact it via WhatsApp at 8333123, providing information such as the date, time and location of the incident as well as other relevant information.

He highlighted that the Land Transport Department along with a number of other stakeholder agencies have been reviewing the 2006 Road Traffic Regulations (Bicycle) to improve road safety for cyclists and to ensure cycling activities are properly organised and regulated.

Several suggestions to improve cyclists’ safety were also raised during the ‘Bicycle Rules: Stakeholder Engagement Session and Proposed Updates’ held in September 2018 for cycling stakeholders including representatives from government agencies and the private sector as well as the Brunei Darussalam Cycling Federation and bike operators.

“Among the recommendations included providing safety car for cyclists; introducing road cycling guidelines that emphasise on wearing bright outfits especially at night; using helmets and using white headlights red rear bike lights that conform to international standards and bicycle rules in the country,” the minister said.

BEIRA, Mozambique (AFP) – More than a thousand people are feared to have died in a cyclone that smashed into Mozambique last week, while scores were killed and more than 200 are missing in neighbouring Zimbabwe.

The city of Beira in central Mozambique bore Cyclone Idai’s full wrath last Thursday before the storm barrelled on to neighbouring Zimbabwe, unleashing fierce winds and flash floods and washing away roads and houses.

“For the moment we have registered 84 deaths officially, but when we flew over the area… this morning to understand what’s going on, everything indicates that we could register more than 1,000 deaths,” Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi said in a nationwide address.

“This is a real humanitarian disaster,” he said. “More than 100,000 people are in danger.”

Survivors have taken refuge in trees while awaiting help, the President added.

Aerial photographs released by a Christian non-profit organisation, the Mission Aviation Fellowship, showed groups of people stuck on rooftops with flood waters up to window level.

“The scale of damage… (in) Beira is massive and horrifying,” the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said.

Ninety per cent of the city of some 530,000 people and its surrounding area has been “damaged or destroyed,” it said in a statement.

“The situation is terrible. The scale of devastation is enormous,” the IFRC’s Jamie LeSueur said.

“Almost everything is destroyed. Communication lines have been completely cut and roads have been destroyed. Some affected communities are not accessible.”

A large dam burst last Sunday and cut off the last road to Beira, he said.

Sofala province governor Alberto Mondlane warned that the “biggest threat we have now, even bigger than the cyclone, is floods because it’s raining more and more”.

Coordinator of a grouping of NGOs known as Cosaco Emma Beaty said, “We’ve never had something of this magnitude before in Mozambique.

“Some dams have broken, and others have reached full capacity, they’ll very soon open the flood gates. It’s a convergence of flooding, cyclones, dams breaking and making a potential wave: everything’s in place so we get a perfect storm.”

Nyusi said the Pungwe and Buzi rivers in central Mozambique “have burst their banks and engulfed entire villages.”

“Communities are isolated and bodies are floating” on the waters, he said.

Beira international airport was closed because of cyclone damage but later reopened.

In neighbouring Zimbabwe, Idai left 98 dead and at least 217 more missing, according to the Information Ministry.

Families started burying their dead on Monday in damp graves, according to an AFP photographer.

The storm swept away homes and ripped bridges to pieces, leaving destruction that acting defence minister Perrance Shiri said “resembles the aftermath of a full-scale war”.

Some roads were swallowed up by massive sinkholes, while bridges were ripped to pieces by flash floods.

“This is the worst infrastructural damage we have ever had,” Zimbabwe’s Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Joel Biggie Matiza said.

The eastern district of Chimanimani was worst-hit, with houses and most of the region’s bridges washed away by flash floods.

The most affected areas are not yet accessible, and high winds and dense clouds have hampered military rescue helicopter flights.

Two pupils and a worker at a secondary school in the area were among those killed after a landslide sent a boulder crashing into their dormitory.

|     Hakim Hayat     |

THE National Oral Health Survey (NOHS) 2015-2017 showed a worrying trend of dental caries such as cavitation and shadowing among adults here at 99 per cent, while 40 per cent of adults suffered gum disease.

The survey on adults was conducted on 254 individuals within the 35-44 year age bracket.

The survey further indicated that out of 2,257 participants surveyed, 64 per cent had dental caries that had not been treated, Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohammad Isham bin Haji Jaafar said in his message to commemorate World Oral Health Day (WOHD) yesterday.

The survey also showed that the level of dental caries among children in the country had declined, but 74 per cent of those aged five and six years have high risk of dental caries.

The survey results also showed that 75 per cent of children in the country had not seen a dentist before the age of two, and almost 25 per cent of children aged five and six had not seen a dentist.

Meanwhile, two in three or the 67 per cent of adults in the country have not seen a dentist in the last 12 months. The survey also found that about half of the population have made dental check-ups, while half of them only made visits to the dentist to alleviate pain.

Based on the survey’s findings, the Minister of Health said it is not surprising that the main causes for tooth loss in the country are dental caries and gum disease.

“This is because many will only go to dentists if they feel pain, and at that moment, most likely the tooth will not be able to be saved,” he said.

The minister advised regular dentist visits to maintain teeth and prevent dental caries and other complications. He highlighted that generally, many dental caries are preventable.

The minister also underlined that lifestyle and diet play a significant role in maintaining good oral health.

He said that aspects that contribute to dental caries include excess sugar intake; use of milk bottles for infants (which is one of the main causes of dental caries among children); the use of pacifiers and thumb sucking habit among infants, causing spacing between the upper and lower teeth and disrupting jaw growth, and also tobacco use that can increase the risk of gum disease and mouth cancer.

All individuals have their own responsibilities in maintaining oral health, he said, advising the public to also have regular dental checks apart from home care.

He also called for dental professionals to take an active role in educating the public on the implications of good oral health care and vice-versa.

The minister noted that the Ministry of Health provides 18 dental clinics throughout all districts.

|     Lyna Mohamad     |

BRUNEI Darussalam conducted a National Consultation on the Mid-Term Review (MTR) of ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on Elimination of Violence Against Children (ASEAN RPA on EVAC) yesterday.

Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) Datin Paduka Dr Hajah Norlila binti Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Jalil officiated the event at The Empire Hotel & Country Club in Jerudong.

The event began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah and Doa led by Assistant Community Development Officer at the Community Development Department (JAPEM) Muhammad Tauhiduddin bin Haji Rosli.

It was followed by a welcoming remark and introduction from Brunei Darussalam Commissioner to ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) Dato Paduka Dr Haji Junaidi bin Haji Abdul Rahman.

Three observers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and Telekom Brunei Berhad were invited to the event.

The MTR of the ASEAN RPA on EVAC is a project under the framework whereby it has been stated in the ASEAN Regional Action Plan that has been accepted since 2016.

ACWC Commissioners for Children’s Right along with Senior Officials Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (SOMSWD) at every member countries have been shouldered with the responsibility to hold this workshop with the support of UNICEF to realise the action to review the impact of ASEAN RPA on EVAC at ASEAN member countries.

The consultation/workshop serves to identify and monitor the development of implementation of the Eight ASEAN RPA on EVAC Action Plans in Brunei Darussalam, get feedbacks/input from various parties of interests on the implementation of the Eight Action Plans including constructive comments and suggestions on how to move forward and speed action.

Brunei Darussalam Commissioner to ACWC for Women’s Right Hajah Misnah binti Bolhassan and Child Protection Chief of UNICEF Malaysia Sarah Norton-Staal as well as senior officers at the MCYS and JAPEM were also present.