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During a meeting with the Brunei Islamic Religious Council Monday, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah urged for the establishment of Islamic Criminal Law in his country.
 View more photos of the Sultan here at Daylife.com “What else are we waiting for?” the Sultan said.
“We have the (Syariah) court building, in its grandeur, intellectuals and experts are also in abundance, and the country is independent, what more are we waiting for?”
The Sultan also pointed out that he initially wanted to see Islamic Criminal Law set up back in 1996, during his 50th birthday celebrations. He criticized how much time has lapsed after that.
“Fifteen years has since passed, and there are still some that would say, ‘we are not ready, we are still unable to’ and ‘there is still much to do’ and that our preparations would require another eight or five years and so on,” stressed His Majesty.
“After that (five to eight years) there will be others who will immediately say we require a further five to eight years. If that is the case, when will the additional timeframes mentioned end?”
“I am certain that if we wanted to implement the laws of Allah (SWT), it is not impossible to be carried out,” he said.
The Sultan said that if Brunei is not able to do so, “then carry out what we are able to do so in a gradual manner”, with cases that can be heard in the Syariah courts.
One issue the Sultan discussed was alcohol, which is banned in Islam. “Those who are caught drinking alcohol or drinks that intoxicate, if there is enough evidence why not carry out the law of God.”
Finally, the Sultan told those in attendance that once Islamic Criminal Law was established, there won’t be any problems between that court and civil court.
“To simplify it, both the Civil Courts and the Syariah Court can run parallel without affecting one or the other, this is the uniqueness of Brunei, may Allah (SWT) bless us with peace, prosperity and justice.”
Source: Brunei Times
On Tuesday, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, Hassanal Bolkiah, and his son and heir, Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, attended Brunei Islamic Religious Council (MUIB) at the Legislative Council Building in Jln Kebangsaan.
 Brunei Times/Saifulizam It was during that meeting that Sultan Hassanal said there was a need for Brunei to establish its own Islamic Criminal law, while at the same time keeping the relevant civil law.
The Sultan said he wondered that, “In face of the existence of Islamic legal system and Islamic judiciary, has the country made all the demands of Islam?”
In six titahs, the Sultan spoke about Brunei’s history as an Islamic country with Islamic laws, until the British arrived in the 1870s, which changed the country’s civil and criminal laws.
The Sultan also said in 1980, he consented that a committee be established to align Brunei’s laws with that of Islam.
The MUIB is the highest council in the country and formulates policies toward determining the direction of Islam’s administration in Brunei. It acts to assist and advise Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in all matters pertaining to the Islamic religion.
Sources: Brunei Times, RTB News
 Infofoto On Sunday, the Queen of Brunei presided over a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the Girls Guide Association, a volunteer organization.
Her Majesty Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha binti Al-Marhum Pengiran Pemancha Pengiran Anak Haji Mohamed Alam – or simply Queen Saleha – was with three other princesses: her two daughters, Princess Hajah Rashidah, president of Girls Guide, and Princess Hajah Majeedah. The occasion took place at the Indoor Stadium of the Hassanal Bolkiah Sports Complex.
Speeches were given and there some performances for the ceremony, some of which including Saleha’s granddaughter Hariisah.
The Queen spoke to the attendants, telling them to further improve Girls Guide’s quality by playing active role in carrying out the Association’s projects.
Founded in 1950, Girls Guide is one of Brunei’s largest volunteer organizations, with nearly 2,000 girls nationwide involved.
Source: Radio Brunei
Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan and Yang-Di Pertuan of Brunei, is currently on a working visit to the Netherlands. At Noordeinde Palace in The Hague, he had lunched with Queen Beatrix, Crown Prince Willem Alexander and Princess Maxima. It was the Queen who called the Sultan’s visit an “exceptional event.”
 AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool “It is also rare for me to welcome a head of state with an impressive as seniority as yours,” she said to him. Hassanal Bolkiah is one of the world’s richest and has been head of state since 1967.
This visit was a rare chance for the Queen and the Sultan to meet. Beatrix has never been to Brunei, and this was his first official visit to the Netherlands. However, both countries have good economic deals when it comes to oil. Brunei itself is a major exporter of the fossil fuel, and Hassanal is in the Netherlands to visit Dutch oil companies, such as Shell.
“For many decades there is a successful cooperation between Brunei and Shell in the exploitation of these fuels,” Beatrix said in her speech during the lunch.
The country is increasingly focused on other sectors to reduce dependence on the oil wells. “The Netherlands is interested to see what’s in Brunei has been achieved in the area of maritime infrastructure, port development, water and agro-technology,” said the queen. “Even in these areas, cooperation between our countries is imaginable.”
After the lunch, the Sultan met with Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
Source: De Telegraaf
 Four days after she was born, the newest addition to the Brunei royal family has a name.
The first daughter of Crown Prince Billah and Princess Sarah has been named Princess Muneerah. She was born at 10:47pm on January 2nd 2011.
It is tradition that the Sultan, Hassanal Bolkiah, names his grandchildren.
The little Princess now joins big brother Prince Abdul Muntaqim, who was born in 2007.
Congrats to the Brunei royal family!
Source: RTB News
 REUTERS/Ahim Rani/FILE The brother of the Sultan of Brunei, Prince Jefri Bolkiah, has to pay a law team in legal fees, a New York City jury found Wednesday.
The jury Faith Zaman Derbyshire and Thomas Derbyshire were awarded more than $10.1 million, though they gave Prince Jefri $54,000 which the Prince said the Derbyshires stole from him.
Jefri claimed the husband and wife legal team stole the money by exploiting his trust in various schemes. The Derbyshires said they did everything the Prince told them to do.
The trial provided the jury and other onlookers a glimpse of the jet-set lifestyle Prince Jefri leads as a member of one of the world’s wealthiest families.
Source: AP
Her Royal Highness Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah, or Princess Rashidah Bolkiah, opened the 9th Biennial International Nursing Conference 2010 at University Brunei Darussalam (UBD). She encouraged all nurses to remember the purpose of their profession.
 Brunei News “Nurses should not lose sight of their duty to strive to continue learning and sharing because nursing is not just a skilled profession,” the Princess said.
“A nurse’s care for individuals must focus on those who are both healthy and ill, of all ages and backgrounds, and who have physical, emotional, psychological and even intellectual, social and spiritual needs.”
“Integrating various views from other related professions has been recognized as the way forward in other schools of medicine and health sciences,” she added.
After officiating at the conference, Princess Rashidah toured various booths of health products and services.
The three-day conference would see speakers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Kuwait, the Philippines and the host country tackling issues on the theme “Developing Clinical Academia and Clinical Leadership.”
Sources: Brunei Times
On Saturday, Brunei’s Prince Haji AlMuhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, was given permission from his father, the Sultan, to award nearly one thousand civil servants. The awards were part of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah’s 64th birthday celebrations. The investiture ceremony took place at the Balai Singgahsana Indera Kenchana, Istana Nurul Iman, and the recepients were recognized for their service to the government and country.
 RTB Awards 34 people received the Pingat Jasa Kebaktian (PJK) or Meritorious Service Medal. That is for officers and staff from various ministries and government departments. They were recognized for their loyalty to the Sultan, to the country and its religion, Islam.
433 received Pingat Indah Kerja Baik (PIKB) or Excellent Service Medal, which is meant for perfect long-term track record in their service to the government, most especially for national security. Good conduct is also one of the criteria for the medal.
The remaining 377 the Pingat Kerja Lama (PKL) or Long Service Medal. That goes to those who had served for 20 years or more in the government.
This investiture ceremony will go continue this coming Monday and Tuesday to total the amount of the recipients for this year.
Click here to see a video of the ceremony.
Sources: Brunei Times, RTB News
 REUTERS/Ahim Rani On Thursday, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddien Waddaulah of Brunei Darussalam marked his 64th birthday. As it happens each year, a parade take place to honor the Sultan, in which citizens and the military participate in.
Early in the morning, young students lined-up along the roads, waving their country’s flag to welcome the Sultan to his own parade.
Once he arrived, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah was greeted with the royal salute which was accompanied by the national anthem and a twenty-one gun salute. He was accompanied by Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Prince Haji Sufri Bolkiah and Prince Haji Jefri Bolkiah.
Hassanal Bolkiah then inspected the honor guard before sitting at the royal dais to watch the parade. The parade ended with a salute by the Royal Brunei Air Force’s planes which sent trails of white, blue, yellow and red smoke in the sky.
The Sultan is the 29th monarch of Brunei Darussalam. He ascended to the throne in 1967.
Source: Radio Television Brunei
 AP Photo/Vincent Thian, File It was announced Wednesday that Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei will divorce his wife of five years, Princess Azrinaz Mazhar. Rumors have been going around of a troubled marriage for a while.
The Sultan married the former Malaysian journalist in 2005 in a secret ceremony in Kuala Lumpur. They have two children, a son, Prince Abdul Wakeel, and a daughter, Princess Ameera.
This will be Hassanal Bolkiah’s second divorce. In 2003, he ended his 21 year marriage to former flight attendant Mariam Abdul Aziz.
In both cases, the royal titles for both women were revoked.
The Sultan remains married to his first wife, Anak Hajah Saleha, whom he married in 1967.
The Sultan of Brunei is one of the world’s wealthiest men, with a net worth estimated to be about $20 billion. He gets his wealth from being the absolute ruler of his oil-rich country.
Sources: AP, Brudirect
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