Dato Paduka Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, Deputy Minister of Finance and the Chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board (center) as the guest of honour, with Chen Lian Cai, President of Chinese Enterprises Association in Brunei and CEO of Hengyi Industries and Her Excellency Yang Jian, Chinese Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam cutting the ribbon to officiate the inaugural ceremony of the Chinese Enterprises Association in Brunei which was held at The Empire Hotel & Country Club yesterday

Dato Paduka Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew delivering his speech on the occasion

I attended an interesting event yesterday at The Empire Hotel. It was the inaugural ceremony of a new association called the Chinese Enterprises Association in Brunei (CEAB). It was interesting in a way that for the first time there is a new registered association where it’s a collaboration between Brunei Darussalam and China for the Chinese-owned businesses or joint venture in Brunei Darussalam. A big example will be Hengyi Industries (part of PMB project) and CCC Third Harbour Engineering Co LTD (for the Telisai-Lumut Highway).

For the record, there are 27 Chinese owned companies being present in our Sultanate and it is helping to spur the local economy and also create employments as well. Hence, it does make sense to create an association to help the business match making side of it and also to create more opportunities (inside and outside) for Brunei Darussalam.

The event was witnessed by several foreign dignitaries and prominent figures in the local Chinese community and the guest of honour was Dato Paduka Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, Deputy Minister of Finance and the Chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board.

He shared how the the association will have a positive spin to the Brunei economy with a platform to share ideas and businesses and not forgetting to also create opportunities among the local SMEs in Brunei. Their presence also signifies that we don’t have to rely so much on oil and gas as a source of revenue.

Dato Amin highlighted some of the ongoing project and businesses from the China in Brunei such as Hengyi Industries on the Pulau Muara Besar and Hiseaton Fisheries, a project that is worth $300 million of output yearly. As for the technology side of things, we have the presence of HuaWei in Brunei Darussalam.

Currently the President of the Chinese Enterprises Association in Brunei is Chen Lian Cai who is also the CEO of Hengyi Industries. He shared in his remarks that the companies in China were encouraged to expand outside their country and looked for opportunities for a win-win situation. To no surprise, Brunei currently has 27 Chinese owned companies and hence, the CEAB couldn’t have come at a timely manner.

I’m actually quite surprised by the number of Chinese listed companies in Brunei. Now with CEAB on board, it can create more awareness on their existence and I myself would like to learn on how they contribute to the economy and also their purpose/intention.

Thank you, CEAB, for the invitation yesterday and also for the door gift.

Her Excellency Yang Jian, Chinese Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam receiving a token of appreciation from Guan ZhongWei, Chief Representative of HuaWei Brunei Office back in April 2015. Image taken from Borneo Bulletin.

The Telisai-Lumut Highway which was a project handled by Xing-An-Ji, a subsidiary of China Communication Construction Company (CCCC) Third Harbour Engineering Co Ltd. The supposedly project was delayed for 3 years and now it’s already opened for road users.

Hengyi Industries ran a scholarship program and this was the first batch of students that graduated in July 2015 from Zhejiang University.

Shanghai Third Harbour Benteng Construction and Engineering Co & Pahaytc Sdn Bhd on behalf of Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd will commence constructing of marine jetties at Ujung Sapuh, Pulau Muara Besar. The project is slated to finish around 2017.

The $85 million Ulu Tutong Dam which is near its completion. This project is handled by Sinohydro Corp. The company is also working together with another Chinese based company Pahaytc Venture Sdn Bhd. Image courtesy of The Brunei Times.

Tsui Fangcai, Deputy General Director of Sinohydro Corp, shared the updates on the Ulu Tutong Dam to The Brunei Times yesterday. You can click image to read more. Image courtesy of Zaim Kasmat of The Brunei Times.

Director of Hiseaton Fisheries Liu Xi Lei (L) exchange documents with Acting Director of Fisheries Halidi Salleh for a joint venture to operate an aquaculture research and development centre in early July . Image courtesy of Wardi Wasil of The Brunei Times.

Another Chinese linked company called Sesame World Technology which involves 3D and animation. Their office is located Design and Technology Building. The image was taken at ICC last year.

 

Are you catching Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice? I just got my tickets at The Mall Cineplex. It’s gonna be epic 😀

 

Katie Alice. Kitchen Kraft. Ginger. And many more.. These are the popular brands from the UK for plates, cups and cutlery and not forgetting the utensils you used behind the scenes in the kitchen. Normally we have the normal standard ones that we see at our local departmental stores. Now we have a dedicated cutlery and kitchen utensil physical store called “The Potters”.

It’s opening tomorrow officially to the public and it’s located at Unit 8, Setia Kenangan 2, Kiulap (opposite Pepper Lunch) and it’s open from 10am to 9pm and you can also follow their IG @thepotters_bn or contact them at 242 4000.

If you are interested in making sambal, this is convenient 😀

 

Yang Berhormat Dato Paduka Awang Haji Bahrin bin Abdullah, the Minister of Development and Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines (5th from left) with board of directors of Royal Brunei, representatives from Darussalam Assets and Department of Civil Aviation during the launch of Operations Control Centre at Brunei International Airport last week

Outgoing Deputy Chairman of Royal Brunei Dermot Mannion in his welcoming remarks. This was also his final working visit in Royal Brunei Airlines.

Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) officially launched its Operations Control Centre (OCC) at Brunei International Airport last week.

On hand to officiate the launch as the guest of honour was YB Dato Paduka Awang Haji Bahrin bin Abdullah, the Minister of Development and Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines.

As RB explained, at the Operations Control Centre the Corporate Business Unit and Operational Department handle the task of managing and coordinating execution of daily schedules as planned, while the OCC also houses the processes and personnel responsible for managing real-time operational decisions.

Its roles and responsibilities include proactively managing the impact of unplanned changes to schedules, providing quality service to the maximum number of passengers and directing the most cost-effective plan to return to published schedules.

Speaking at the event, Captain Saiful Bahrin Awang Bahar, Chief Pilot at RB Flight Operations called the launching “an important milestone”.

“As we are all aware, airline schedules typically do not operate as planned,” he said. “Hence, it is in every airline’s best interests to ensure that there is a proper management process in place to manage and coordinate the execution of daily schedules.”

Captain Saiful Bahrin Awang Bahar, Chief Pilot at RB Flight Operations delivering his remarks

Ribbon cutting to officiate the opening of the Operations Control Centre (OCC)

Viewing the OCC

This room is vital for monitoring flights. I’ve been one at Seattle and it’s huge.

Group photo at the OCC

Dermot greeting the pilots at OCC area

“OCC plays this important role for the day-to-day operations of all scheduled flights departing in and out of the Brunei International Airport.”

The newly structured OCC will see the integration of all the different but relevant departments involved, ranging from Ramp Handling, Reservations, MCC and Engineering Line Maintenance, in the same physical location, which they previously were not, Captain Saiful explained.

“In doing so, this will enable a more cohesive and coordinated workflow, as well as a faster and more informative decision-making process to help ensure the smooth operations of all scheduled flights.”

He added that, as and when required, the OCC can also function as a mini crisis centre able to handle disruptions far more effectively with all the affected departments in close proximity.

Speaking to reporters after the launch, RB’s new Chief Executive Officer, Karam Chand said, “The idea here is to get everybody into the same room and take advantage of all the technologies that are available.”

“I think by having people of all the key disciplines represented in the room, it helps in terms of decision-making. You can get to make a decision quicker, you can consider different scenarios. This is a live environment, you are doing your very best to have your aircraft flying as quick as possible. So by having all the disciplines, it really helps.”

“It’s really to make sure that we are looking after our customers,” he explained. “For example, in an operational environment, you would not normally see a commercial person, so now we are going to put a commercial person in this room as well. We’re always thinking about our customers ahead of everything.”

The outgoing Deputy Chairman and CEO of Royal Brunei Airlines, Dermot Mannion also spoke at the event, saying, “This is a state-of-the-art facility. Any airline in the world would be very proud to have the facility that we’ve now got, and as Karam says, in one area now, we have all of our key operations people present, which means they can monitor all of our activity across the network and do so very effectively.”

“It’s operating 24/7, so there could be 20 people operating in that area at any one time. In addition to the permanent staff in there, we have all the crews visit the area when they’re preparing for flights, so it’s a very active area all through the day and all through the night,” he added.

Also in attendance to witness the opening of the OCC were the RB Board of Directors and Darussalam Asset representatives as well as RB senior management and staff. Text by Danial Norjidi of Borneo Bulletin.

The photo of Captain Sharifah Czarena, Senior First Officer Dayangku Nadiah binti Pengiran Khashiem and Senior First Officer Sariana binti Nordin that spread around the world. Image courtesy of Royal Brunei Airlines’ Facebook Page.

There are so many things that I wanna talk about this picture. It went so viral that even big names such as Mashable and the newspapers in the UK were talking about it. The sharing of the image on Facebook reached into the millions of viewers with thousands of shares. It’s just phenomenal reach especially for a small country like Brunei.

The image of the three female pilots was taken during their flight from Brunei Darussalam to Jeddah during the 23rd February, the National Day. It was stated by former Deputy Chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines, Dermot Mannion, that it was coincidental that the roster featured three female pilots then.

Dermot was very proud that the RB brand has become viral even after weeks of posting. This is also a testament that there is an increasing number of female associates in the company namely engineering and also in the management team.

The incoming CEO of RB Karam Chand hopes the number of female representatives in the RB’s work force will improve to 50-50 especially in the management section. Currently it stands in the region of 40% of female employment.

Keep up the good job, RB! I’ve always been proud being a passenger of Royal Brunei.

 

The dance performance in closing the Japanese Language and Culture Week

Ms Bella won first place and the prize was presented by Ms Yuki IIDA from the Embassy of Japan in Brunei Darussalam

Times Square Shopping Centre ended its Japanese Language and Culture Week last Sunday, 20th March 2016. The event was held on 18th March, Friday until 20th March, Sunday at 10:00am till 10:00pm. The event was organized by Embassy of Japan in Brunei Darussalam, Times Square Shopping Centre and Japan Foundation. The co-organizers include Brunei Association of Japan Alumni (BAJA), Community Education & training Division (CET), BERSATU/SEAYP and supported by Japan Brunei Friendship Association (JBFA), The Japanese Association Brunei Darussalam, Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), The Japan Council of Local Authorities Relations (CLAIR), BJFA-UBD chapters, Language Centre, University Brunei Darussalam, Youth & Sport Department in the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Brunei Kendo Alliance, Tsuburaya Production Co Ltd, Human Capacity Building Consultancy Services (HCBC) and One Universal Production Sdn Bhd (OUP).

Throughout the event there was a Manga workshop by a Manga artist from Japan, Ms Manaru Tenkawa, as well as a Calligraphy competition. The closing ceremony that was held yesterday started with the appearance of the heroes from Japan, Ultraman. The prize presentation then followed and was presented by Ms Yuki IIDA from the Embassy of Japan in Brunei Darussalam. For the Manga competition, the third place went to Khairul Anwar bin Abdul Aziz, whereas Justine Lim came second. Ms Bella won first place, walking home with two tickets to the Ultraman show. All the winners were also presented with manga related prizes sponsored by Ms Tenkawa.

The top 3 winners for Calligraphy competition were Redzwan Haji Nasir who came as first place, bringing home a CANON digital camera, whereas Lim Nyuk Lan came second, walking home with a G-Shock watch Afwan Jali won third place, bringing home $100 Kaizen food voucher. The event ended with a dance performance of “Soranbushi” by UBD, JENESYS and SSEAYP.

Moreover, Times Square Shopping Centre will be having a DC-themed Mini Carnival: 9th edition on 23rd March to 29th March 2016, followed with a Wedding Fair on 7th April to 10th April 2016. For further information, please call 2338208 or 2338006 during office hours. Press release by Times Square Shopping Centre.

One of the winners of the Calligraphy competition last weekend

 

Wu Chun as the ambassador for BMW China

Very few people in the world had the chance to be a brand ambassador for world-class brands such as Coca-Cola, Levis, Guerlain, Canon, Osim, Mido Swiss watch, Disneyland, Gatsby, Seven-Eleven and few others. BMW China has recently chosen Brunei’s second biggest export after oil and gas, Wu Chun, our very own international superstar as their spokesperson, who is also a brand ambassador for Royal Brunei Airlines.

A new car for the modern family— the first-ever BMW 2 Series Tourer was officially launched in the China market. Its also the first time BMW China has appointed a celebrity as their brand ambassador and they have chosen Wu Chun mainly because of his signature cool-trendy, inspiring and healthy family man image in the eyes of the public which BMW needed for this new target market.

In the BMW Group centenary year, the launch of the fourth localized BMW product – BMW 2 Series Tourer is another important milestone, a marker of BMW Brilliance’s localization process and commitment in China. This new car addresses a new customer group, strengthening the leading position of BMW brand in the premium car market, taking on a full vitality for “The Next 100 Years.”

Anton Heiss, president and CEO of BMW Brilliance remarked, “The first-ever BMW 2 Series Tourer marks a significant milestone of BMW Group’s commitment to China. This car precisely captured the new consumer trend in China.”

Wu Chun who recently did a TV commercial shooting for BMW just right after he wraps up his first Hollywood movie in Australia shared,” During my TVC shooting, I have the chance to drive the first-ever BMW 2 Series Tourer and this car comes with an innovative concept, combining BMW’s signature driving pleasure and versatility, and how customer-oriented BMW is.”

The award-winning BMW 2 Series (iF Design Award 2015), stands out as the most dynamic tourer car in the class. The extreme dynamic bodylines add a cool and sporty harmony, illustrating the signature look of a BMW car.

Jochen Goller, Dr. Anton Heiss, President and CEO of BMW China, Wu Chun and Olaf Kastner

Dr. Michael Liu, Kun Ling, Wu Chun, Dr. Anton Heiss and Jochen Goller