Mohamad Nur Ikhwan Abu Bakar | Prime Minister's Office Brunei Darussalam

His Majesty presents, receives Letters of Credence

by Mohamad Nur Ikhwan Abu Bakar | 19 Oct, 2026 | News, Prime Minister

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, this afternoon presented Letters of Credence to newly-appointed Brunei Darussalam envoys and received Letters of Credence from newly-appointed Foreign Envoys to Brunei Darussalam.

Also present was His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Mateen, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam first presented Letters of Credence to His Excellency Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Hisham bin Haji Mohd Hanifah, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Brunei Darussalam to the People’s Republic of China and His Excellency Sheikh Abdul Mahdani bin Dato Paduka Sheikh Haji Abdul Gani, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Brunei Darussalam to the Republic of France.

His Majesty then received Letters of Credence from resident Foreign Envoys to Brunei Darussalam, namely His Excellency Chen Shaochun, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to Brunei Darussalam; Her Excellency Do Thuy Duong, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam to Brunei Darussalam; His Excellency Soe Thet Naung, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to Brunei Darussalam; and Her Excellency Melanie Barlow, British High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam.

His Majesty later received Letters of Credence from 20 non-resident Foreign Envoys to Brunei Darussalam, namely:

His Excellency Mario Masuyuki Toyotoshi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Paraguay to Brunei Darussalam;
His Excellency Mohamed Trabelsi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Republic of Tunisia to Brunei Darussalam;
Her Excellency Tanya Dimitrova, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to Brunei Darussalam;
Her Excellency Yadira Ledesma Hernandez, High Commissioner of the Republic of Cuba to Brunei Darussalam;
His Excellency Abdelouahab Osmane, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Democratic People’s Republic of Algeria to Brunei Darussalam;
His Excellency Karim Mohamed Elsadat Abdelkarim Abdelkhalek, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Brunei Darussalam;
His Excellency Dr. Karomidin Gadoev, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Brunei Darussalam;
Her Excellency Dr. Mariyam Shabeena Ahmed, High Commissioner of the Republic of Maldives to Brunei Darussalam;
Her Excellency Daniella Ortega de Paiva Menezes, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federative Republic of Brazil to Brunei Darussalam;
His Excellency Sudqi Al-Omoush, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to Brunei Darussalam;
His Excellency Floréncio de Conceiçāo e Almeida, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Angola to Brunei Darussalam;
His Excellency Irakli Asashvili, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Georgia ke Negara Brunei Darussalam;
His Excellency Gerhard Eisl, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Austria to Brunei Darussalam;
His Excellency Zada Seidou, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Niger to Brunei Darussalam;
His Excellency Serob Bejanyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to Brunei Darussalam;
His Excellency Sebastián Breton Pérez, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Panama to Brunei Darussalam;
Her Excellency Ivana Golubović-Duboka, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Serbia to Brunei Darussalam;
Her Excellency Marianne Fosland, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Norway to Brunei Darussalam;
His Excellency Petr Kopřiva, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to Brunei Darussalam;
His Excellency Innocent Bagamba Muhizi, High Commissioner of the Republic of Rwanda to Brunei Darussalam.

Following the Ceremonies, His Majesty then received in audience the newly-appointed Brunei Darussalam envoys as well as Foreign Envoys to Brunei Darussalam who have just presented their Letters of Credence.

Present at the Ceremonies were Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Sufian bin Haji Sabtu, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (Security and Law); Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Erywan bin Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Haji Mohd. Yusof, Second Minister of Foreign Affairs; Yang Mulia Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Hamiddon bin Haji Ibrahim, Private and Confidential Secretary to His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam; Yang Mulia Awang Haji Muhammad Fakhri bin Haji Mohd Taib, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Yang Mulia Pengiran Haji Raffizanna bin Pengiran Haji Razali, Acting Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office as Acting Grand Chamberlain.

The Ceremonies took place at Istana Nurul Iman.

News courtesy of Prime Minister’s Office
Photo courtesy of Infofoto

Ninth ASEAN ministerial meeting on drug matters and its related meetings (AMMD)

by Mohamad Nur Ikhwan Abu Bakar | 15 Oct, 2026 | News, Others

Brunei Darussalam participated in the 9th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Drug Matters (AMMD), held virtually on 15 October 2026 and chaired by His Excellency Mr. Oscar F. Valenzuela, Chairman of the Dangerous Drugs Board of the Republic of the Philippines.

The Brunei Darussalam delegation was led by Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Sufian bin Haji Sabtu, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (Security and Law), who stressed that drugs are not merely a social or law enforcement issue, but a national security threat that erodes the resilience of our families, undermines public safety and fuels transnational organised crime.

The Minister also drew attention to the fact that 42 per cent of all drug-related arrests over the past year involved individuals below the age of 35. “These are young lives, and they tell us that we must intervene earlier and with greater precision,” said the Minister. Stressing that “no country can confront this threat alone,” the Minister highlighted a joint operation in 2025 involving seven enforcement agencies from five countries, including Brunei Darussalam, which seized nearly 110 kilogrammes of methylamphetamine. In this regard, he stated that “recovery is possible, and every individual who chooses that path deserves our support and a genuine second chance.”

The Meeting supported the extension of the implementation period of the ASEAN Work Plan on Securing Communities Against Illicit Drugs 2016–2025 to allow outstanding activities to be completed, while the Final Review led by the Republic of the Philippines is finalised. The Meeting also took note of the delivery of the Joint ASEAN Statement by the Republic of the Philippines at the 69th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, which reflected ASEAN’s collective voice in addressing the world drug problem.

Key outcomes of the Meeting included the adoption of the Concept Note on Updating Annex I of the ASEAN Charter concerning the Nomenclature of ASOD and the Guidelines of Practices and Protocols for the AMMD and Its Subsidiary Mechanisms. The Meeting also commemorated the ASEAN Drug Victims Remembrance Day for the first time, as a mark of respect for those affected by drug abuse. The 9th AMMD was preceded by the Preparatory ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Drug Matters (Preparatory-ASOD) on 14 October 2026. The 10th AMMD will be chaired by Myanmar.

Also on the Brunei Darussalam delegation were Yang Mulia Awang Zulhusam bin Haji Abdul Samad, Permanent Secretary (Security and Law) at the Prime Minister’s Office; Yang Mulia Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Zalani bin Haji Ismail, Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office and Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau; and senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Office and the Narcotics Control Bureau.

News courtesy of Prime Minister’s Office
Photo courtesy of Prime Minister’s Office

Crown Prince receives Singapore minister

by Mohamad Nur Ikhwan Abu Bakar | 12 Oct, 2026 | News, Senior Minister

His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, received in audience His Excellency Zaqy Mohamad, Acting Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs and Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Defence, Republic of Singapore. The audience took place at Qashr Al-Meezan.

Accompanying His Excellency during the audience were His Excellency Yip Wei Kiat, High Commissioner of the Republic of Singapore to Brunei Darussalam, and Mr Kadir Maideen, Chief Executive of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS).

Also present were Yang Berhormat Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohammad Tashim bin Pengiran Haji Hassan, Minister of Religious Affairs, and Yang Mulia Dr Haji Mohamed Hussain bin Pehin Penyurat Haji Ahmad, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

His Excellency is in the country for a three (3) days introductory visit from 11th to 13th October 2026.

News courtesy of Ministry of Religious Affairs
Photo courtesy of Infofoto

Singapore PM arrives for defence ties golden jubilee

by Mohamad Nur Ikhwan Abu Bakar | 10 Oct, 2026 | News, Others

His Royal Highness Prince Abdul Mateen ibni His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu‘izzaddin Waddaulah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Anak Isteri Anisha Rosnah binti Adam, tonight welcomed the arrival of His Excellency Lawrence Wong, Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore and his wife, Madam Loo Tze Lui, and Singapore delegation at the Brunei International Airport, who will attend the Golden Jubilee Celebration of Brunei Darussalam and the Republic of Singapore Defence Relations.

Present to welcome the arrival of His Excellency and his wife were Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ahmaddin bin Haji Abdul Rahman, Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Manpower and Minister of Home Affairs as Minister-inAttendance, and spouse; Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, Coordinating Minister for National Security, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Defence II, and spouse.

Also in attendance at the Brunei International Airport were Yang Mulia Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi bin Bol Hassan, Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces; Yang Mulia Dato Paduka Seri Awang Sulaiman bin Alidin, the Commissioner of Police of the Royal Brunei Police Force; and Permanent Secretaries from the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Defence, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and their respective spouses.

The Golden Jubilee Celebration of Brunei Darussalam and the Republic of Singapore Defence Relations will be held on 10th October 2026 at Royal Brunei Navy Naval Base in Muara.

News courtesy of Prime Minister’s Office
Photo courtesy of Infofoto