The sleepy, oil-rich nation of Brunei was abuzz with excitement yesterday as the popular sultan marked his 60th birthday with glitzy festivities and ceremonies.
Thousands of locals in this tiny nation of 350,000 people joined in the celebrations as Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, one of the world's richest men, turned 60 in style.
Curious and excited onlookers lined the streets along with roughly 2,000 flag-waving school children to greet the arrival of the Sultan and his royal entourage at the national square for the first ceremony of the day, the inspection of the guard of honor.
PHOTO: EPA
"We have been looking forward to this day, to celebrate our beloved Sultan's birthday together with the whole nation," said Mohammad Anuar, who had been waiting with his family to catch a glimpse of Hassanal.
Roads leading to the square were richly decorated with lights and banners, lending a festive atmosphere to the ceremony.
Dressed in an official gold-trimmed black military uniform, Hassanal conducted the inspection of some 500 military and navy officers.
Later, the Sultan delivered his annual birthday speech at the grand hall of his Nurul Iman Palace, which is the world's biggest residential palace.
Inside the majestic hall richly decorated with gold-plated pillars and large crystal chandeliers, Hassanal also announced an increase in salary and allowances for all government workers.
"To appreciate the contributions of my government workers, especially the lower ranked officers, it is with pleasure that I announce a special accelerated increment of salary for this year," he said.
The people of Brunei currently enjoy free medical services, education and housing -- and pay no taxes.
Foreign heads of states and royalty who were also present for the birthday message include Jordan's Princess Basmah Talal, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak and Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda also joined the thousands of guests.
The foreign guests are due later to have an audience with Hassanal.
A birthday banquet has been planned for Saturday night when more than 10,000 guests are expected to feast on local and Western food in the palace.
To end the day of festivities, a grand fireworks display -- said to have cost private sponsors close to US$200,000 -- has been scheduled.
The birthday celebrations were kicked off on July 1 in the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, and have included a daily lineup of activities including a walkathon in which Hassanal himself participated, fireworks displays and street processions. Celebrations officially end on Aug. 18.
The government has also issued special commemorative stamps and gold coins to mark the celebrations of the Sultan, who is also Brunei's prime minister, finance minister and head of defense.
Hassanal, who ascended the throne in 1967, is the third-longest- reigning monarch in the world after Thai King Bhumipol Adulyadej and Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.
ROCKY RELATIONS: The figures on residents come as Chinese tourist numbers drop following Beijing’s warnings to avoid traveling to Japan The number of Chinese residents in Japan has continued to rise, even as ties between the two countries have become increasingly fractious, data released on Friday showed. As of the end of December last year, the number of Chinese residents had increased by 6.5 percent from the previous year to 930,428. Chinese people accounted for 22.6 percent of all foreign residents in Japan, making them by far the largest group, Japanese Ministry of Justice data showed. Beijing has criticized Tokyo in increasingly strident terms since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi last year suggested that a military conflict around Taiwan could
A retired US colonel behind a privately financed rocket launch site in the Dominican Republic sees the project as a response to China’s dominance of the space race in Latin America. Florida-based Launch on Demand is slated to begin building a US$600 million facility in a remote region near the border with Haiti late this year. The project is designed to meet surging demand for the heavy-lift rockets needed to put clusters of satellites into orbit. It is also an answer to China’s growing presence in the region, said CEO Burton Catledge, a former commander of the US Air Force’s 45th Operations
Germany is considering Australia’s Ghost Bat robot fighter as it looks to select a combat drone to modernize its air force, German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius said yesterday. Germany has said it wants to field hundreds of uncrewed fighter jets by 2029, and would make a decision soon as it considers a range of German, European and US projects developing so-called “collaborative combat aircraft.” Australia has said it will integrate the Ghost Bat, jointly developed by Boeing Australia and the Royal Australian Air Force, into its military after a successful weapons test last year. After inspecting the Ghost Bat in Queensland yesterday,
A pro-Iran hacking group claimed to breach FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal e-mail inbox and posted some of the contents online. The e-mails provided by the hacking group include travel details, correspondence with leasing agents in Washington and global entry, and loyalty account numbers. The e-mail address the hackers claim to have compromised has been previously tied to Patel’s personal details, and the leaked e-mails contain photos of Patel and others, in addition to correspondence with family members and colleagues. “The FBI is aware of malicious actors targeting Director Patel’s personal email information,” the agency said in a statement on
RSS