BRUNEI | The New ASIA OBSERVER

30 OCTOBER 2019

Politics & Islam in Brunei

In recent years Brunei has received international attention due to attempts to tighten and expand Syariah criminal law. The Syariah Penal Code Order 2013 (SPCO 2013) mostly consolidated already existing Islamic criminal offences
https://asiancorrespondent.com/2019/10/politics-islam-in-brunei/

6 MAY 2019

Brunei halts plan to punish gay sex with death by stoning

Brunei’s sultan has extended a moratorium on the death penalty to new laws prohibiting gay sex and adultery after a global backlash against the punishments
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/05/brunei-halts-plan-punish-gay-sex-adultery-death-190505181513614.html
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/05/asia/brunei-lgbt-death-pen

7 APRIL 2019

RAF and Royal Navy urged to cut ties to sultan of Brunei over anti-gay law

The RAF and Royal Navy are under pressure to cut links with the sultan of Brunei amid a global backlash against his country’s decision to introduce death by stoning as punishment for homosexuality
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/06/oxford-university-navy-raf-must-cut-ties-sultan-brunei-gay-death-stoning-law

27 MARCH 2019

Brunei to impose death by stoning for gay sex and adultery

Adultery and gay sex in Brunei will be subject to death by stoning from next week, authorities said, under a sharia law that has been on hold for four years amid heavy criticism
https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3003546/brunei-impose-death-stoning-gay-sex-and-adultery
https://www.dw.com/en/brunei-shariah-law-applies-death-sentence-for-homosexuality/a-48076114

2 NOVEMBER 2017

Brunei named most improved economy in the world

Brunei Darussalam has been named the most improved economy in the world for the third year in a row in the World Bank’s Doing Business Report 2018, which was released on Wednesday
http://www.asiaone.com/asia/brunei-named-most-improved-economy-world

5 OCTOBER 2017

Bolkiah, sultan of Brunei, celebrates 50 years in power

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is marking 50 years on Brunei’s throne with a spectacular and lavish ceremony at his golden-domed palace. Among the sultan’s contemporary monarchs, only Queen Elizabeth II has had a longer reign
http://gulfnews.com/news/asia/your-gilded-chariot-awaits-brunei-sultan-celebrates-50-years-in-power-1.2101019
http://www.asiaone.com/asia/brunei-sultan-mark-golden-jubilee-lavish-celebrations

7 NOVEMBER 2016

Brunei’s second-largest daily newspaper shuts down abruptly

Brunei’s second-largest daily newspaper, the Brunei Times, published its final edition on Monday, after abruptly announcing plans for closure over the weekend, triggering online speculation about the reason
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/bruneis-second-largest-daily-newspaper-shuts-down-abruptly
http://www.newmandala.org/buried-brunei-times/

3 OCTOBER 2016

New churches or temples not allowed in Brunei

Brunei is a small country with a population of only about 400,000, of whom 67 per cent are Muslims, 13 per cent Buddhists, 10 per cent Christians and 10 per cent other religions
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/new-churches-or-temples-not-allowed-brunei#sthash.CAWglOel.dpuf

27 APRIL 2016

Brunei must diversify its spluttering economy

The small Southeast Asian state of Brunei Darussalam has long enjoyed considerable affluence, thanks in large part to its exports of crude oil and liquefied natural gas to resource-hungry neighbours like Japan and India. According to 2010 data, GDP per capita was US$51,600 and Bruneians enjoy the total absence of sales taxes or personal income tax.
http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2016/04/27/brunei-must-diversify-its-spluttering-economy/

12 APRIL 2015

Sultan of Brunei’s son celebrates wedding in lavish ceremony

The youngest son of the Sultan of Brunei, a tiny oil-rich nation in Southeast Asia celebrated his wedding in a grand gold-plated ceremony on Sunday in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3035550/Sultan-Brunei-s-son-celebrates-wedding-mind-boggling-splendour.html
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/variety/2015/04/12/Sultan-of-Brunei-s-son-celebrates-wedding-in-lavish-ceremony.html

8 JANUARY 2015

Brunei bans Christmas public displays

Brunei recently banned Christmas decorations in public areas in the oil-rich kingdom as part of the Islamic legal and moral code implemented in May last year, according to the country’s religious affairs officials
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/455280/brunei-bans-public-displays-of-christmas
http://www.nst.com.my/node/68941

2 OCTOBER 2014

Is Brunei’s Shariah Threat Real?

http://www.asiasentinel.com/society/brunei-shariah-threat-real/

27 SEPTEMBER 2014

Brunei, S’pore talk defence policy

Officials from Brunei and Singapore recently convened for the annual Defence Policy Dialogue with the aim of fostering defence cooperation between the countries
http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/brunei-spore-talk-defence-policy

18 SEPTEMBER 2014

France’s Femina literary prize boycotts hotel over Brunei sharia law

The all-woman jury of France’s prestigious Prix Femina has decided to not to stage its awards ceremony at a luxury hotel owned by the Sultan of Brunei because he is introducing sharia law in his tiny country.
http://www.english.rfi.fr/asia-pacific/20140918-france-s-femina-literary-prize-boycotts-hotel-over-brunei-sharia-law

10 MAY 2014

Hollywood turns on Sultan of Brunei

Stars boycott Polo Lounge in protest at Sultan of Brunei’s plans to introduce Sharia law at home – but waiters say it’s only them who will suffer

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10821808/Hollywood-turns-on-Sultan-of-Brunei.html

5 MAY 2014

Celebrities boycott Brunei-owned hotels over sharia law

Celebrities including Virgin group founder Richard Branson have vowed to boycott a hotel chain linked to Brunei’s sultan after he introduced a controversial Islamic penal code in his country

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/408203/celebrities-boycott-brunei-owned-hotels-over-sharia-law

30 APRIL 2014

Brunei adopts ‘phase one’ of Islamic law

Sultan launches new penal code that will eventually include stoning, amputation and flogging as punishments
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/30/sultan-brunei-sharia-penal-code-flogging-death-stoning
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2014/04/brunei-adopts-phase-one-islamic-law-201443051454609650.html

22 APRIL 2014

Brunei delays use of sharia law

Brunei has postponed its implementation of harsh Islamic punishments, due to begin Tuesday, that have earned condemnation from the United Nations and sparked rare criticism at home

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/406040/unavoidable-circumstances-delay-introduction-of-harsh-islamic-laws

15 APRIL 2014

Brunei joins China navy exercise for first time

The Royal Brunei Navy’s (RBN) first participation at the Multilateral Maritime Exercise (MMEx) in Qingdao, China marks a historic moment for both countries, said the acting Chinese ambassador to Brunei yesterday

http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/brunei-joins-china-navy-exercise-first-time

6 MARCH 2014

Sultan urges Brunei to back Islamic law

Brunei’s ruling sultan on Thursday hit back at foreign criticism of the looming implementation of a form of Islamic Shariah law that includes harsh penalties, saying the new penal code was a “great achievement” for the country
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/398551/brunei-sultan-urges-country-to-support-islamic-law

26 FEBRUARY 2014

Brunei hits back at criticism over sharia

Brunei’s all-powerful sultan, stung by rare criticism, has ordered social media users to stop attacking his plans to introduce harsh Islamic criminal punishments in the placid oil-rich kingdom

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/397125/brunei-hits-back-at-criticism-over-sharia

22 OCTOBER 2013

Brunei introduces death by stoning under new Islamic laws

The Sultan of Brunei is to introduce a new code of sharia law which could see stonings introduced for adultery, amputations for thefts and public flogging for drinking alcohol.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/brunei/10395702/Brunei-introduces-death-by-stoning-under-new-Islamic-laws.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24624166

12 MAY 2013

More students ranked top ten in world this year

The number of students from Brunei ranked among the top ten highest in the world according to their individual subjects have increased this year, said Isabel Nisbet, Cambridge regional director of Education for the Asia Pacific

http://www.bt.com.bn/news-national/2013/05/12/more-students-ranked-top-ten-highest-world-year

31 JANUARY 2013

Brunei, China pledge to further enhance military ties

Brunei and China recently reaffirmed their military ties, pledging to further strengthen the cooperation between both armed forces.

http://www.bt.com.bn/news-national/2013/01/31/brunei-china-pledge-further-enhance-military-ties

7 JANURY 2013

Brunei to hasten Asean integration

“Brunei’s ASEAN chairmanship in 2013 will be very important in ensuring the ASEAN Community meets its 2015 deadline, and I am confident that Brunei is capable of taking the role as chair”, said executive director of the Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies Dato Paduka Dr Hj Ismail Hj Duraman. http://www.bt.com.bn/news-national/2013/01/03/brunei-hasten-asean-integration

22 DECEMBER 2012

Brunei in the South China Sea hot seat

Territorial tensions in the South China Sea created unprecedented divisions within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2012, with member states taking divergent approaches to China’s increasing assertiveness in the contested maritime area. Now, as the chairmanship of the 10-member grouping shifts from China ally Cambodia to Brunei, also a claimant to South China Sea territory, in 2013, many analysts wonder whether there will be a qualitative shift in ASEAN’s stance on the divisive but strategically important issue
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/NL22Ae07.html

25 FEBRUARY 2012

Forbes ranks Brunei fifth richest nation

FORBES has ranked Brunei Darussalam as the fifth richest country out of 182 nations due to its extensive petroleum and natural gas fields giving the Sultanate just over US$48,000 per capita
http://www.bt.com.bn/news-national/2012/02/25/forbes-ranks-brunei-fifth-richest-nation

14 FEBRUARY 2012

India eyes stronger defence, energy ties with Brunei

India is looking into deeper cooperation with Brunei Darussalam in the sector of defence, security and oil and gas, as part of its commitment to work closely with ASEAN countries
http://www.bt.com.bn/news-national/2012/02/14/india-eyes-stronger-defence-energy-ties-brunei

16 JULY 2004

Brunei sultan announces the restoration of the Legislative Council suspended since 1984

10 AUGUST 1998

The Royal Proclamation of HRH Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah as the Crown Prince of Brunei

http://www.answers.com/topic/al-muhtadee-billah-bolkiah