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Brunei’s petroleum industry declines, economy falls to 9.7%, GDP drops BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Brunei - New 2 Borneo

Brunei’s petroleum industry declines, economy falls to 9.7%, GDP drops

Posted: 29 Jan 2014 08:08 PM PST

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: A significant decline in Brunei's petroleum and hydrocarbon industry has caused the nation economy to plummet to 9.7 percent during the third quarter of 2013,©BRUDIRECT.COM reported.

A data by Department of Economic Planning and Development (JPKE) shows that during the quarter, the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated BND$4.6 billion compared to BND$5.16 billion recorded in the same period of 2012.

According to statistics released by JPKE, the performance of fossil fuels industry has declined to 11.7 percent year-on-year. The industrial sector which is weighed down significantly by a 17.2 percent fall in mining, posted a year-on-year decrease of 9.7 percent.

The industry's poor performance in the third quarter followed a growth rate of 0.05 percent in the second quarter of 2013.

Other subsectors of the industries have fared slightly well. For example, construction grew 3.5 percent year-on-year, followed by manufacturing at 3.1 percent and electricity and water at 1.9 percent.

The non-hydrocarbon sector continued to increase by 2.4 percent year-on-year. Services sector contributed minimally to the overall economic growth, also raising output by 2.4 percent after recording an increase of 4.3 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2013.

Real estate and ownership of homes contributed 4.8 percent year-on-year followed by private services with 3.6 percent, finance at 2.8 percent, trade 2.2 percent, and transport and communication 2.1 percent and government services at 1.5.

One percent increase year-on-year is recorded in agriculture, fishery and forestry sector, recovering from 6.2 percent decline in the second quarter of 2013. This is primarily attributed to the growth of the agriculture sector by 3.3 percent after a decline of 4.1 percent in the previous quarter.

JPKE further stated that the decrease in GDP is due to 9.2 percent drop in exports of goods and services year-on-year followed by government consumption expenditure by 0.3 percent year-on-year.

Imports of goods and services recorded a growth by 4.9 percent followed by capital formation 4.8 percent year-on-year and personal consumption expenditure 1.1 percent year-on-year.

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Unidentified skeleton of an animal found

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 05:43 PM PST

Posted on January 29, 2014, Wednesday

Bandar Seri Begawan: The skeleton of an animal found recently by a local worker floating in the river near the Wood Discharge Complex of Forestry Department in Jalan Kota Batu at Simpang 980, ©BRUDIRECT.COM reported.

The dead animal was found at around 7:30 in the morning near the woods according to Awg Jeluddin bin Ahamad.

"This is the first time I have seen an animal like this since I started working here for over 30 years. When I saw the carcass of the animal, I immediately called my friends but they also did not know what animal it was", said Awg Jeluddin.

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Brunei tier 2 country for human trafficking

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 05:42 PM PST

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Brunei Darussalam is considered as a destination country for human trafficking and is ranked Tier 2 country in the recent report published by United States' State Department Trafficking in Persons (TIP), ©BRUDIRECT.COM reported

According Attorney General's Chambers Legal Adviser, Christopher Ng Ming stated that there was one convicted case of TIP which is sexploitation (sexual exploitation). Victims in the Sultanate are generally subjected to involuntary servitude and unpaid wages which might lead to TIP in the form of labor exploitation. Just last year, the Human Trafficking Unit conducted preliminary investigations on one hundred and eighty three reports and also conducted further investigations on two cases, said Christopher during a briefing on Trafficking in Persons to representatives from foreign missions in the Sultanate at the Officers Mess of Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) Headquarters.

Christopher further touched on the causes for the lack of prosecution such as difficulty in identification of culprits, refusal of victims to testify and they would rather return to their home countries. Repatriation seems a viable option.

There are no complaints from victims that they are trafficked. For instance, most prostitutes that could be victims of trafficking tell authorities that they are 'tourists'. It is also easier to charge under other laws such as Labor Act or Women or Girls Protection Act.

A representative from the Community Development Department of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports also shared information on the welfare home, its facilities, services and programmes provided to the victims of trafficking. The representative further stated that they received four cases in 2012, three of which involved Thai nationals and one involved and Indonesian national.

The briefing was initiated by the Ad Hoc Committee on Trafficking in Persons and comprised of representatives from the Prime Minister's Office, the Attorney General's Chambers, the RBPF, the Immigration and National Registration Department with the RBPF as the leading agency.

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Love triangle, insurance fraud: There never was an armed robbery

Posted: 28 Jan 2014 05:39 PM PST

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: A man who was allegedly attacked in an armed robbery in Miri, pleaded guilty to lodging a false report to the police, ©BRUDIRECT.COM reported

The twenty-four-year-old Nabil Fiqri Razali told the presiding Magistrate's Court judge yesterday that he lodged the police report because he wanted to claim insurance.

The court document stated that on January 11, the defendant lodged a police report at the Kuala Belait Police Station, stating that while he was in the vicinity of the e-Mart Store in Miri, he was attacked by three unknown assailants who the defendant had tried to stop from breaking into his vehicle, a Kia. In his police report, the defendant stated that he was slashed on his left hand with an instrument believed to be a knife. Fiqri's car window screens were smashed in along with the car's body which had been smashed using a piece of metal.

Fiqri told the police that after the incident, he immediately returned to the Sultanate via the Sungai Tujuh Immigration Control Post. The police then conducted an investigation, including taking statements from a number of immigration officers on duty at the Sungai Tujuh Control Post on January 11, as well as other individuals.

The police also obtained a medical report from the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital. Furthermore, the police went to Miri, Sarawak, and sought assistance from the Malaysian Police (PDRM). Further investigations revealed inconsistencies in Fiqri's statement.

Eventually, the defendant admitted to the police on January 27, that he had lodged a false police report on January 11. The wounds he suffered on his left hand and the damage caused to his vehicle were in fact a result of a fight between him and an unknown man in a village in Miri. The fight was due to a problem involving a female friend, whom he went to Miri to visit.

During the proceedings yesterday, the presiding judge released the defendant on a BND$1,000 court bail and two local sureties, despite the prosecution's application for the defendant to be further remanded at Jerudong Prison.

Fiqri may face up to six months in jail and liable to a fine of BND$4,000 for pleading guilty to lodging a false report. The sentencing of the case has been scheduled to be heard on February 3.

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New petrochemical company to be established in Pulau Muara Besar

Posted: 27 Jan 2014 04:43 PM PST

Bandar Seri Begawan: Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd has been granted access to a two-hundred and sixty-hectare site at Pulau Muara Besar (PMB) where the company now begins site preparation and reclamation work on the island,©BRUDIRECT.COM reported.

The project for the Integrated Oil Refinery and Aromatics Cracker Plant was green lit after Hengyi and the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) signed a land lease agreement.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by the Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office and Chairman of the BEDB, Dato Paduka Hj Ali Hj Apong. Signing on behalf of Hengyi was Fang Xian Shui, General Manager of Hengyi Petrochemical Co Ltd, while Dr Hj Abd Manaf Hj Metussin, the Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office and Chief Executive Officer of the BEDB.

The signing ceremony held at Hengyi's office at The Empire Hotel & Country Club was also attended by the Chinese Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam, Zheng Xianglin, and senior government officials from various ministries.

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