The Brunei Times, Unbiased, sorta

[Brunei (Nusantara)]

The Brunei Times is an independent English-language daily compact broadsheet newspaper published in Brunei Darussalam.

The main focus of The Brunei Times is on news analysis, features, commentaries and op-ed articles on local and foreign happenings.

[Brunei (Nusantara)]

Religious Council Bans Pornography


A man accused of selling pornography at a roadside stand is arrested by the Brunei Royal Police

The Brunei Islamic Religious Council, backed by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, has released a statement late last night that will effectively ban the buying and selling of all pornographic material, as well as items deemed "sexually inappropriate". At the stroke of midnight this morning, the Royal Brunei Police, along with members of conservative Islamic groups, raided roadside stands known for sales of pornography, locally known as Kedai Runcit, and completely dismantled the stores. However, many of these areas are also popular hangouts for Brunei youth and up to 13 people that were in the area were arrested due to suspicion of being involved in the purchasing of pornography.

While there has been no response from official political or human rights watch groups, the youth of Brunei have already expressed their frustration over the new law - mainly over the Internet. Twitter and Facebook are the main medium from which the citizens of Brunei heard of the news, many claim that they did not hear of the new law taking place over the television but by tweets from friends. "There was no warning" said Abdul, a university student at Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali. He was drinking coffee with his friends at a stand near a Kedai Runcit, "I had barely read a tweet about the new law from my friends and joked that we should get out of here when the police actually came and told us to scram." A small but vocal minority are speaking out against the government rather than being merely disappointed; a rare occurrence in a nation where nothing bad is ever said against the Sultan.

[Brunei (Nusantara)]

Brunei Makes Spratly Island Claim Official


The Ministry of Development, aided by the Royal Brunei Navy, establish a base at Royal Charlotte Reef

The great nation of Brunei has shown that she can flex her muscles when the Ministry of Development, lead by Ustaz Haji Awang Badaruddin, announced that Brunei has opened its first tourist outpost in the remote but potential-filled Spratly Islands region. The Royal Brunei Navy also assisted the Ministry of Development by providing protection in the form of three patrol boats. A small house stationed by temporary workers will be the place for any tourists, mainly snorkelers and scuba divers, in the area will stay.

Mr. Badaruddin insists that this is the first step that needs to be taken in order for two things to begin to show: the diversification of the economy and the diplomatic strength of the nation. With this now official claim on Royal Charlotte Reef, Brunei has become a serious participant in the ongoing struggle to occupy the resource-rich and sparsely-populated Spratly Islands. While natural gas resources are expected to be found in the area, Brunei is mainly after the exclusive, beautiful coral reefs that dot the ocean, which is real potential for a growing tourism industry. While Brunei only claims the few islands that are located within its continental shelf, many of these islands are also claimed by nations such as Malaysia, Vietnam, and China.

If Brunei is to be taken as a real threat, larger steps must be taken by the nation including the stationing of a post in occupied islands claimed by others, as stated by Mr. Badaruddin. The question is, will anyone tolerate it?

[Brunei (Nusantara)]

University Students Protest over Anti-Pornography Law


Protesters and Riot Police face off into the night

A 'coalition' of five universities, led by Universitas Brunei Darusallam, officially staged a protest against the central government, the Islamic council. A total of 3,000 students and 2,000 other protesters blocked the entrance to the royal palace despite the presence of riot police, who already seem outnumbered on the streets.

The banning of pornography by the Brunei government has been met with opposition from many of the country's youth. Students claim that not only will the youth be opposed to the Sultan's harsh, conservative actions, but tourism - something Brunei has been trying to achieve - will most certainly suffer. "It's terrible PR, from the point of view of the Ministry of Development (who is in charge of tourism)" says one protester, "We already have a ban on alcohol, famously high priced hotels and half of our women don't show any skin. Why would tourists want to come here if they can't even watch porn?"

Political analysts, however, see this is as more than about pornography. "It's about the complete disregard for freedom of speech and democracy in the nation." says opposition leader Yassin Affandi. His National Development Party was banned from entering Brunei politics until 2005. Until now the Brunei parliament is hand-picked by the Sultan himself, and are not considered any representative of the people. "Today's youth see what is happening outside of Brunei, and they seem to be confused as to why they can't have it here."