Sultan dines with uniformed groups

UNIFORMED personnel from various government and non-government agencies gathered in the thousands, as they attended a banquet hosted by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Minister of Defence and Supreme Commander of Royal Brunei Armed Forces, in conjunction with the monarch's 66th birthday celebrations at the Istana Nurul Iman yesterday evening.

The banquet hall, decorated with colourful flowers, was filled with uniformed members ranging from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces to Girl Guides Association of Brunei Darussalam.

The monarch himself looked grand for the occasion, donning a white military uniform.

After the dinner, when the monarch made his way into the banquet hall, the sound of thousands of chairs dragging in unison resonated strongly in the vast hall.

This was the time when every uniformed personnel were standing eagerly waiting for their turn to shake hands and mingle with the monarch who would occasionally stop and interact with them.

Meanwhile, accompanying the monarch were Her Majesty Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha, His Royal Highness Prince General Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office and RBAF Deputy Commander, HRH Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Isteri Pengiran Anak Sarah, HRH Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MoFAT), HRH Prince Hj Sufri Bolkiah, HRH Prince Hj Jefri Bolkiah, HRH Prince 'Abdul Malik, HRH Prince 'Abdul Mateen, HRH Princess Hjh Masna, Ambassador-at-Large at the (MoFAT) followed by other members of the royal family.

Also present during the dinner were cabinet ministers, foreign dignitaries and other senior government officers.

Before the dinner, a Doa Selamat was read out by the State Mufti Pehin Datu Seri Maharaja Dato Paduka Seri Setia Dr Ustaz Hj Abdul Aziz Juned. The Brunei Times