A selawat ceremony was held at Balai Khazanah Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah to mark the official closure of The Noble Hair of The Prophet Chamber yesterday, which had been open to the public from August 15, 2026 until yesterday.

The ceremony commenced with the recitation of selawat and dikir led by Institut Tahfiz Al-Quran Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah teacher Sheikh Haji Mutiaa Al Kabbani Mahmoud, and concluded with the recitation of Doa Peliharakan Sultan dan Negara Brunei Darussalam led by a first-year Higher Diploma Aliyah Qiraat student from Institut Tahfiz Al-Quran Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.

The Noble Hair of The Prophet Chamber was open to the public for one month throughout Rabiulawal to commemorate the birth month of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), while serving to honour and uphold the sanctity of the period.

Around 3,307 visitors were recorded throughout the month-long opening, providing them with the opportunity to view the chamber and recite selawat in close proximity to the relic at Gallery 3.

The Balai Khazanah Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah organised religious activities throughout the month, offering four selawat sessions inside the chamber on every working day from Monday to Thursday and Saturday for groups and zikir associations from ministries, government departments, higher education institutions, mosques, and private companies.

Bookings were made online, with 934 participants taking part in sessions featuring Dikir Syarafil Anam, Selawat Ibrahimiyah, Selawat Tafrijiyah, Selawat Munjiyat, Selawat Fatih, Selawat Syifa, Selawat Nur, Selawat Badariyyah and Maulid Diba’ie.

Selawat activities were also conducted at the auditorium and lobby of the hall every Sunday throughout Rabiulawal by non-governmental organisations, registered associations, and zikir groups in collaboration with the institution, which were accessible to the public. Coordinating Minister for National Security, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Defence II Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof; Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies and Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Abdul Manaf bin Haji Metussin; Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (Civil Service Governance) Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi bin Awang Haji Mohamad; Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (Security and Law) Dato Seri Setia Haji Sufian bin Haji Sabtu; Minister of Development Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Muhammad Juanda bin Haji Abdul Rashid; and Minister of Religious Affairs Pengiran Dato Seri Setia Haji Mohammad Tashim bin Pengiran Haji Hassan as members of the Advisory Board of the Balai Khazanah Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah were the special guests in attendance.

The special guests were welcomed by Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Director of the Balai Khazanah Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Dr Haji Mohammed Hussain bin Pehin Penyurat Awang Haji Ahmad, who also serves as Head of Secretariat of the Advisory Board of the Balai Khazanah Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.

The next opening of The Noble Hair of The Prophet Chamber is scheduled for January 2027 for three days in conjunction with the commemoration of Israk Mikraj.

News courtesy of Information Department
Photo courtesy of Information Department

Lianyungang, People’s Republic of China, 07 to 10 September 2026

The Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (Security and Law), Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Sufian bin Haji Sabtu, led the Brunei Darussalam delegation to attend the “2026 Global Public Security Cooperation Forum Lianyungang (GPSCFL)”, held in the City of Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, People’s Republic of China, from 07 to 10 September 2026.

Brunei Darussalam has participated in the GPSCFL since2024. The GPSCFL is an annual conference co-organised by the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China and the China Association for Friendship under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China. This year’s GPSCFL theme, “Unite to Advance Public Security Governance, Bring Stability to a Turbulent World,” underscores the importance of strengthening international cooperation and solidarity in enhancing public security governance, particularly in addressing an increasingly complex and uncertain global security landscape.

The plenary session of the GPSCFL was held on the afternoon of 09 September 2026 at the Haizhou Bayview Conference Centre in the City of Lianyungang, People’s Republic of China. The GPSCFL 2026 was officiated by His Excellency Wang Xiaohong, State Councillor and Minister for Public Security of the People’s Republic of China. On the same day, the BruneiDarussalam delegation also had the opportunity to visit The 3rd Public Security Tech Expo, held in conjunction with the conference.

Earlier, on 08 September 2026, the Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (Security and Law) held a Bilateral Meeting with His Excellency Yang Weilin, Vice Minister of Public Security, Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China. During the meeting, the Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (Security and Law) expressed satisfaction with the close cooperative relationship between the security and law enforcement agencies of both countries. The meeting also discussed efforts to further strengthen formal cooperation between Brunei Darussalam and the People’s Republic of China, particularly in the field of security and law enforcement, including through the exchange of information, sharing of bestpractices and capacity building, especially in addressing issues of mutual interest such as law enforcement, drug trafficking and cybersecurity.

The Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (Security and Law) also held a meeting with His Excellency Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, on 09 September 2026. During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on cooperation in the area of security, particularly in addressing transnational crimes, including terrorism and cybercrime. The discussions also touched on formal mechanisms to further strengthen cooperation between the security and law enforcement agencies of both countries, particularly through the utilisation of emerging technologies.

While in the People’s Republic of China, the Brunei Darussalam delegation also had the opportunity to visitseveral locations in the cities of Beijing and Shanghai, at the invitation of the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China and other stakeholders.

Also part of the Brunei Darussalam delegation to the conference were the Deputy Permanent Secretary (Security and Law) at the Prime Minister’s Office, Dayang Hajah Aldila binti Haji Mohamad Salleh, and senior officers from the Prime Minister’s Office.

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

Coordinating Minister for National Security, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Defence II Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof made a working visit to the Russian Federation from August 27 to 29, 2026 at the invitation of Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Sergei Shoigu.

The visit was a follow-up to the renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the National Security Committee of Brunei Darussalam and the Security Council of the Russian Federation in April 2024.

On August 28, the Coordinating Minister for National Security, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Defence II held a bilateral meeting with the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.

During the meeting, Brunei Darussalam and the Russian Federation exchanged views on matters of mutual interest under the MoU including regional and international security issues as well as opportunities to strengthen cooperation between the security and enforcement agencies in both countries, especially in addressing the threat of transnational crime.

Both countries reiterated their commitment in translating the objectives under the MoU into more concrete and meaningful cooperation, including through closer relations between the relevant agencies, the exchange of information and experience, capacity building and the exchange of visits.

During the meeting and working visit from August 27 to 29, the Security Council of the Russian Federation also arranged a series of visits related to security issues for the Brunei Darussalam delegation in the city of Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Brunei Darussalam to the Russian Federation Pengiran Muhammad Husaini bin Pengiran Penggawa Laila Bentara Adat Istiadat Diraja Dalam Istana Pengiran Haji Alauddin, Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Zalani bin Haji Ismail, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Security and Law), Prime Minister’s Office Hajah Aldila binti Haji Mohamad Salleh as well as officers from the Prime Minister’s Office and the Royal Brunei Police Force were also present.

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