Jenesys students impressed by Brunei

A VISITING delegation of students from Japan have praised the preservation of Brunei's natural resources such as forest reserves and the nation's enthusiastic approach to developing industries other than oil and gas as an encouraging and inspirational examples of how well the country is being governed.

The students, currently on a study tour of Brunei under the Jenesys (Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths) programme, related these views to The Brunei Times during their visit to the Liang-Lumut Recreation Centre (LLRC) yesterday.

The visit to Belait District was hosted by Brunei LNG Sdn Bhd, who took the opportunity to give the students, part of a larger group of 12 students from various Japanese educational institutions, a brief overview of their operations and the close cooperation between Brunei and Japan.

The objective of the visit, according to Rui Nomoto, group leader for the tour, was to give recognition to the students of the connections between natural gas used in Japan and Brunei by visiting the Mitsubishi-supported gas plant and learn about the contribution of Japanese engineers to the Sultanate.

The tour of BLNG Refinery Plant, however, was cancelled due to security reasons and other unforeseen circumstances, said BLNG officers attending to the group.

Questions raised by the students after the briefing mostly revolved around how the company looked after its employees, the economic impact it has on the nation, the employee relations between Bruneians and Japanese, and so on.

Observations made by two of the participants showed how much interest and eagerness the group had for learning about Brunei and their appreciation for Brunei culture and traditions.

Students Kobayashi and Okada, from Kyoto University, who were both impressed with the country's abundance of forestry and its preservation, expressed their eagerness for their trip to the Ulu Temburong National Park scheduled for today.

The study tour for the group began March 16 and will end on March 25.

The tour involves visits to educational institutions, industry leaders, government offices, city and country tours, cultural exchange programmes with local families and so on.

The Brunei Times