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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
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26 December 2015
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#Brunei unfairly hurt by ‘unverified’ news on #Christmas ban, says M’sian minister http://bit.ly/1Zu3Cbc
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Malay Mail Online
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 26 — Brunei has suffered injustice and damage due to unsubstantiated news reports claiming it had imposed a blanket ban on Christmas celebrations, Malaysia’s federal minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak said today.
Salleh said the right to press freedom should be used the right way, saying news reports must be based on facts to avoid the spread of “false” stories, such as that of the Brunei kingdom’s so-called restrictions on Christmas.
“Take the news that has gone viral regarding Brunei imposing an absolute ban on Christmas. That news is now proven wrong but the damage has been done because this ‘news’ have gone viral.
“And this is what happens when we are not responsible and we report news without first doing a proper background check.
“While we hide behind media freedom and the right to report the news, we end up denying people the right to the truth and we subject Brunei to an injustice. This is not what media freedom is about,” the communications and multimedia minister said on his blog today in a post titled “Don’t confuse news with opinions”.
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Brunei Times
Christians celebrate X’mas in Brunei
Saturday, December 26, 2015
THOUSANDS of Christians celebrated Christmas yesterday in multiple services held in churches across the sultanate.
Head of the Catholic Church in Brunei Bishop Cornelius Sim said about 4,000 out of the 18,000 estimated Catholics in the country attended mass on Christmas Day and the night prior at the Church of Our Lady Assumption (COLA) in the capital, Church of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception in Seria and St John’s Church in Kuala Belait.
The bishop and an Anglican reverend told The Brunei Times that despite international media outlets reporting a blanket ban on Christmas – which continued to be observed as a public holiday in Brunei this year – neither received a notice restricting celebrations.
“To be quite honest there has been no change for us this year; no new restrictions have been laid down, although we fully respect and adhere to the existing regulations that our celebrations and worship be confided to the compounds of the church and private residences,” said Bishop Sim.
http://www.bt.com.bn/news-national/2015/12/26/christians-celebratex%E2%80%99mas-brunei
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Christmas Day 2015
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Christmas in Brunei, a reader’s account
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It was reported that Christmas celebrations were banned in Brunei.
So I went to the biggest church in Brunei, about 15 minutes from my place, to see how the ban affected the minority Christians in this tiny oil-rich country.
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I began my journey to the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption at the heart of Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city of Brunei.
It is the biggest church in Brunei, in front of which there is another church painted in blue, St Andrews Church.
When I reached there at around 8.30am, the place was packed.
Cars were parked at both sides of the road. There were a few stalls along the road near the entrance of the church selling clothes, drinks and foods.
Outside the church, I asked a lady if Christmas celebrations in Brunei were banned.
She told me the ban was only for Muslims and in public spaces, but in churches and in private properties, they could celebrate as usual.
Well, that explains a lot why I did not see Christmas trees in shopping complexes.
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I hope it clears some air among those who think Christmas was totally banned in Brunei.
The ban was only meant for Muslims and in public spaces, but the celebrations took place as usual. – December 25, 2015.
* Harris Nasril reads The Malaysian Insider.
Read more here:
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Brunei is predominantly Muslim and Christians make up about 10 per cent of the roughly 430,000 population.
Malaysian Insider
Despite ban, Christmas in Brunei goes on… with a silver lining
KOTA KINABALU, Dec 25 – This year, the Chang family in the Brunei capital of Bandar Seri Begawan will carry on their usual Christmas routine: opening up presents at midnight, going to church, and then a big family lunch which includes a roasted turkey—halal, of course—pumpkin soup and their grandmother’s apple pie.
Although Christmas has been publicly banned in the sultanate, the kids in the household will still sing Christmas carols with their cousins, open even more presents from their visiting relatives and friends, before passing out after watching a Christmas-themed movie, while the adults enjoy some wine or coffee.
“We are still going to church, still putting a Christmas tree at home.
“If anything, the ban puts into perspective what Christmas should be about—family, and the birth of Jesus—and not some over-commercialised holiday which glorifies snowflakes and Santa Claus,” said the matriach, who only wanted to be called Nicky.
Nicky, a 32-year-old mother of two, took the news of the official ban with resignation. After all, the downplaying of Christmas had been going on in the tiny oil-rich country over the years.
“A year ago, big businesses and malls were putting up trees and glitzy lights but [now] they were told not to. This year, many just did without it or kept it to a minimum. But you can still buy them for your home,” the Bruneian Christian said.
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Nicky said most of the community has accepted its ruler’s decrees though it rankled.
“It’s not as bad as the media paints it out to be. We are not happy about it but at the same time it is not a blanket ban. Christians can still celebrate in private, we just adapt,” she said.
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For 26-year-old Hashima and her friends, they will be visiting their Christian friends’ homes for the holidays.
“I would just say that some people are paranoid. Most of my friends are pretty much open-minded to these things so just because of the law, it really doesn’t stop us from enjoying nor does it put a restrictions on us to join in the merriment of Christmas.
“I don’t think I have encountered any Muslim friends who are afraid of this law enough to stop them from going out,” she said.
Merry Christmas from Brunei, Pakistan Saudi Arabia, Syria. Where next? Read more http://bit.ly/MyTreedom #MyTreedom
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No Santa hats or Xmas greetings: Sultan of Brunei bans Christmas http://read.ht/y3x
The statement said non-Muslims disclosing or displaying Christmas celebrations violated the penal code which prohibits propagating religions other than Islam to a Muslim.
Violations include lighting candles, putting up Christmas trees, singing religious songs, sending Christmas greetings and putting up decorations, the Borneo Bulletin quoted imams as saying at a Friday sermon.
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Christmas may be spreading the cheer world over but in the tiny nation of Brunei in Borneo, mere mention of the festivities could land one in serious trouble.
The Sultan of Brunei has banned public celebrations of Christmas, including sending festive greetings and wearing Santa hats, in a move aimed at prohibiting propagation of any other religion other than Islam.
In the oil-rich south east Asian nation, Muslims seen celebrating Christmas and those of any denomination found organising public celebrations could face up to five years jail.
The country’s non-Muslims, who comprise 32% of the 420,000 population, will however be allowed to celebrate the festival in their own communities as long as it is closed off to Muslims.
Imams have also directed communities to follow a government edict passed last year that bans celebrations that could lead Muslims astray and damage their faith.
“These enforcement measures are… intended to control the act of celebrating Christmas excessively and openly, which could damage the aqidah (beliefs) of the Muslim community,” the Ministry of Religious Affairs said in a statement explaining the edict that was published in the Brunei Times.
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1 October 2014
‘The Hostel Stalker’ who raped and robbed a trainee Taiwanese teacher at the Chung Hwa Primary School Teacher’s Hostel, Tutong, has been charged in court.
Borneo Post Online
Bruneian Charged in Hostel Rape Case
Posted on October 1, 2014, Wednesday
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: A twenty-two-year-old Bruneian was charged in the Bandar Magistrate’s Court yesterday for allegedly raping a Taiwanese teacher at Chung Hwa Primary School Teacher’s Hostel, Tutong. He has been remanded while Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) completes their investigations, ©BRUDIRECT.COM reported.
Yurawandy Bujang, dubbed by one of the local media as ‘The Hostel Stalker’, was ordered by Senior Magistrate Hj Nabil Daraina to be produced again on October 14 allowing the prosecution’s application for two weeks remand.
No plea has been taken at this point from the defendant as he faces a first charge of stealing the twenty-one-year-old teacher’s belongings; BND$100, a cellular phone, a laptop, an iPad Mini and a camera, and in the course of committing theft had also caused hurt to the victim.
The second charge alleges the defendant of stealing the alleged rape victim’s roommate’s belongings; BND$7, a cellular phone and a laptop – and in the course of theft had caused hurt to the woman.
The third charge alleges the defendant of raping the expat teacher and in the course of rape had caused hurt to the teacher.
All of the incidents took place sometime between midnight and the early hours of September 27 at the Chung Hwa Primary School Teacher’s Hostel, Tutong.
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Expat teacher raped in Brunei school
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei – A foreign trainee teacher was allegedly raped at the Chung Hwa Primary School hostel in Tutong in the early hours of yesterday.
The Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) said the incident happened at around 1.30am, in which the victim’s roommate was tied while the victim was threatened and raped.
Electronic goods belonging to the victims, including laptops, mobile phones, a Samsung camera and an iPad mini were also stolen, police said.
A foreign government representative said when he first made contact with the victims, they were shocked and frightened.
The victims were considering going home as soon as possible after the incident, the representative told The Brunei Times.
He said the victims had calmed down and were in a better condition to assist the police in their investigations.
The representative said a member of the primary school contacted his office at around 8am to inform him of the incident, before he accompanied the victims to the police station.
“It is unbelievable, Brunei is a peaceful country and such cases should not have happened,” said the representative.
http://news.asiaone.com/news/crime/expat-teacher-raped-brunei-school
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Recently, Brunei, oil-rich Southeast Asian state, has been in the news.
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Published on Apr 24, 2014
The Beverly Hills Hotel is now being boycotted by the LGBT community for the anti-gay policy of Brunei. Through the Brunei Investment Agency and Dorchester Group, the Sultan of Brunei owns the hotel, and he is also the leader of the country that has legalized stoning gay people to death. This medieval political move, and the apparent disconnect to the clientele of the Dorchester Collection of hotels was flagged by designer Brian Atwood, who used Instagram to call for the ban during fashion week in London. We discuss it on the Lip News with Lissette Padilla and Elliot Hill.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft5C9zHFLbQ
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Malaysia Chronicle
Monday, 02 June 2014 18:52
HOW COULD YOU! Kate breaks BOYCOTT on Sultan of Brunei, caught sneaking into hotel
The Royal Family faces condemnation after the Duchess of Cambridge and Princes William and Harry broke a worldwide celebrity boycott of hotels owned by the controversial Sultan of Brunei.
On Friday, the 32-year-old Duchess used a blacked-out car to conceal her visit to the Dorchester Hotel in London’s Mayfair for the wedding of her cousin, Adam Middleton.
The following day, her husband, Prince William, and brother-in-law, Prince Harry, also broke the boycott by playing polo at Coworth Park, a country house hotel in Ascot.
Both venues are part of the Dorchester Collection group owned by the Sultan, whose decision to impose sharia law in his country, which would make it legal for homosexuals living there to be stoned, has provoked an outcry.
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Prince of Brunei wants graphic sex statues of himself barred from New York courtroom
Click on: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1326969/Prince-Jefri-Brunei-wants-sex-statues-barred-NY-courtroom.html#ixzz31mSf4Mxl
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
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New York Post
The sex-obsessed world of Brunei
The Sultan, now 67, has slowly been moving Brunei in this direction for decades, but this recent, drastic declaration has no clear motive. Brunei is so rich with oil, it’s fully independent; nor is it a target of Islamic extremists.
So, why now?
“Who knows?” says Reza Aslan, religious scholar and author of “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth.” “This is obviously not coming from a place of religious devotion, since the Sultan himself is in violation of every single rule of Sharia law you could possibly imagine.”
http://nypost.com/2014/05/10/inside-the-wacky-sex-obsessed-world-of-brunei/
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Vanity Fair
The Prince Who Blew Through Billions
http://www.vanityfair.com/society/features/2011/07/prince-jefri-201107
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Sex-Crazed, Decadent Ruler of Brunei Imposes Sharia Law… But (Surprise!) Shows No Signs of Obeying It Himself
He might have just found his match in his profligate playboy brother Prince Jefri Bolkiah, who is by most accounts the more vulgar of the two, spending (according to one lawsuit) almost $10,000,000 on 10 jewel-encrusted wristwatches that depict a mechanical couple copulating and on “erotic fountain pens” of the same questionable nature.
Despite the Sharia announcement, it remains to be seen how pious the Sultan himself really is. Vanity Fair called him and his brother “constant companions in hedonism.”
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Page Six
The Sultan of Brunei’s son has secrets
Having lived in and reported on the Asian landfill outside Indonesia and nearby Borneo, I’ve long watched Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, the Sultan of Brunei.
Mister Piggy, among the planet’s richest, has the world’s largest palace. His family has the world’s largest appetite. Playboy brother Prince Jefri, allegedly importing crateloads of hookers, once with a harem of 40, has blown billions and, per his land’s rules, could’ve been stoned for adultery.
Read more: http://pagesix.com/2014/05/13/the-sultan-of-bruneis-son-has-secrets/
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CBS NewsMay 13, 2014, 11:49 AM
Beverly Hills Hotel boycott: Inside sultan of Brunei’s world
The man at the center of the Beverly Hills Hotel boycott is the sultan of Brunei. He’s under fire for imposing Sharia law in his nation.
Brunei is about the size of Delaware, yet it’s No. 5 on the Forbes list of the world’s richest countries.
And, as John Blackstone reported, the sultan lives in stark contrast to his stated beliefs.
Michael Auslin, Asian Studies scholar at American Enterprise Institute, said, “He has, according to reports, at least 150 homes. He owns almost 20 aircraft. He has something like seven to nine thousand cars, hundreds of thousands of suits, and millions of dollars in artwork.”
“It’s hypocritical because he’s talking about living humbly by the tenants of Islam and yet he is of course, one of the most fabulously, probably the most fabulously wealthy person on Earth, and certainly, the most materialistic person on earth,” Auslin said.
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Lawsuits filed against the sultan’s brother allege he recruited women for sex parties. Under Sharia law, adultery can be punished by stoning.
“I was an eyewitness to drinking, dancing, a lot of crazy luxury and decadence. And I even had one intimate encounter with the sultan himself,” Lauren said.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/beverly-hills-hotel-boycott-inside-sultan-of-bruneis-world/
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Prince Jefri Bolkiah
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Prince of Brunei wants graphic sex statues of himself barred from New York courtroom
The kinky, narcissistic spending of a flamboyant prince has been revealed in a New York courtroom.
This week the younger brother of the Sultan of Brunei fought to keep photos of the almost $1million (£617,000) pornographic statues depicting himself in various sexual positions with a fiancee away from jurors in his upcoming civil trial against former advisers.
Prince Prince Jefri Bolkiah, 56, immortalized his bedroom antics with Micha Raines in life-sized bronze sculptures he had commissioned for his Long Island estate Sunninghill.
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weehingthong 