Getting physical

Lifestyle

June 5, 2023

Enny Zaini

The road to fitness is never easy. The struggle is real and one needs total dedication along with strong willpower to succeed. Just ask fitness instructor Richard Chua, who said there are no short cuts to achieving the ultimate health goal.

Known to his peers as ‘Strive with Richard’, this civil engineer by profession realised he wasn’t as fit as he thought. It would be impossible for him to use the stairs without feeling any pain in his knees as his joints felt like it was giving up on him. Considering he was in his mid 40s, he felt it was too soon for him to suffer from any bone ailments.

He signed up for a gym membership but that did not do much as he found himself feeling lost in a sea of bodybuilders. Instead of losing weight, he gained some.

Life took a different turn for him when he met a French fitness instructor, who was interested in buying his motorcycle. He offered Chua one hour of personal training for free, to see if he was up for the challenge. Chua went along with the suggestion and that proved to be his wake-up call. The workout was gruelling.

After realising he needed the adrenaline rush that he had been craving for all these time, he signed up with the new coach.

The first few classes were quite an ordeal. Although his coach was very patient, Chua was feeling frustrated for not being able to accomplish some of the set goals for the day and realised he needed to put in extra effort.

Certified fitness instructor Richard Chua. PHOTO: RICHARD CHUA

“The hardest thing for me was to give up on my favourite snacks. I had to control myself from consuming unhealthy food and to control my diet intake,” he said.

He felt more motivated when he noticed that he actually had made some progress – shedding 15 kilogrammes in three months.

“Considering I workout three times a week (cheat day every Sunday) I felt proud of my personal achievement. I have my French fitness coach to thank for who was extremely pleased with my accomplishment,” he said.

Apart from the personal training, Chua also attended fitness classes conducted by his coach such as indoor cycling, circuit training, strength training and yoga.

“I was surprised when he called on me to run one of his circuit training classes as he had to attend to an urgent matter. Although I had little confidence, my coach’s faith in me gave me the push to step up and lead the class. It turned out a success which gave me the encouragement to try and become a fitness instructor. I signed up for a few training courses on health and fitness and succeeded in becoming a certified instructor,” he explained.

For the first time, he felt his life has a purpose. With a full-time job, he has to plan his time well to cater to his clients’ workout classes. Having been a body workout and indoor cycling instructor for five years, he said it is rewarding to see positive changes in his clients, seeing them reach their weight goals.

“It is also self-gratifying to know that I have played a significant part in their fitness journey and contributed to their success,” he said.

One of the highlights in his fitness journeys was his involvement in the Ministry of Health’s Workplace and Health (WAH) Programme in 2019 ,where he was assigned to be one of the leading instructors. The WAH programme is an initiative aimed at encouraging the workplace to provide supportive environments and action for employees to be active, eat healthy, be smoke-free and have a good mental well-being.

“It was quite an experience to lead groups of people from the Ministry of Development, Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications and His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam Royal Flight in a light workout. Most were enthusiastic and it was very encouraging to see the overwhelming response,” he said.

Most of Chua’s clients had weight issues.

“The obesity rate in Brunei is quite alarming with an expected average increase of 4.2 per cent a year, according to the Ministry of Health. It doesn’t do much to go for a five-kilometre brisk walk only to have roti telur and Teh Tarik right after the workout,” he said.

“There is no age limit when it comes to fitness. But you have to start somewhere. My advice for beginners is to ask around for gym recommendations. Sign up for your preferred class and make sure to inform the instructor that you are a beginner.

“You also need to enjoy your workout and not to see it as a form of torture. If you enjoy cycling, sign up for a spinning class or if you prefer movements, join a Zumba session,” he said.

Chua also suggested brisk walking for those who are too lazy for workouts. They can start slowly by aiming for five kilometres (KM).

Once they are comfortable enough, they can go for seven to even 10KM.

“It’s never too late to start a healthy lifestyle. Your body can do anything. It’s your brain that you need to convince!”

Bestari community centre in the spotlight

National

June 5, 2023

Izah Azahari

The Putra Seni Group in cooperation with the Language and Literature Bureau (DBP) organised the first Semarak Pusat Masyarakat Bestari Perpustakaan DBP on Saturday at the Bestari Community Centre in STKRJ Rimba, Mukim Gadong A.

Legislative Council member and Penghulu of Mukim Lumapas Yang Berhormat Amran bin Haji Maidin was the guest of honour.

Head of Putra Seni Group Mohammed Zefri Ariff bin Mohammed Zain Ariff in his capacity as the chairman said the event was held to introduce Bestari Community Centre to the public, preserve the art of Brunei while enriching the strength of language, literature and culture of the Sultanate.

The main event was the Pantaran Sastera DBP, where literary figures who have received recognition in the Southeast Asian Writers Award (SEA Write Award) – Professor Apuan Dr Haji Brahim bin Ampuan Haji Tengah, Pengiran Haji Aji bin Pengiran Haji Mohd Tahir, and Haji Abdul Aziz bin Haji Tuah served as the panel. Two other sessions featured established and young writers including Haji Mohd Firdaus bin Orang Kaya Haji Noordin, Hajah Aminah binti Haji Momin, Dr Shahrin bin Haji Metussin, Mohammad Khairol Nazwan bin Haji Karim, and Mohamad Fathullah bin Haji Rashid.

Performances such as Mari Bercerita and Berpantun were held.

There was also a presentation of prizes to winners of the recent DBP Ramadhan Poetry Recitation Competition.

Attendees visit a booth during the event

Monday, June 5, 2023

BB Daily Digital

June 5, 2023

Ruzaini crowned Volt Run winner

Sports

June 4, 2023

Local runner Ruzaini Mahadi emerged winner in the 11 kilometre Men’s Open of the Volt Run: Apex after clocking a time of 39:18.47s at the Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien in the capital on Sunday.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi bin Haji Mohamad with Ruzaini Mahadi. PHOTO: FADHIL YUNUS

The event, in its sixth iteration, attracted over 300 runners. It was held in tandem with Bandarku Ceria.

More details on Monday’s Borneo Bulletin

Striker Karim Benzema will not return to Real Madrid next season

Sports

June 4, 2023

Spain Soccer La Liga — Real Madrid's Karim Benzema during a Spanish La Liga football match against Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain. PHOTO: AP

MADRID (AP) – Karim Benzema will not stay with Real Madrid next season, the club said on Sunday.

Real Madrid said it reached an agreement with the French striker to “to bring his brilliant and unforgettable time as a player at our club to a close”.

Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema during a Spanish La Liga football match against Rayo Vallecano at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain. PHOTO: AP

Madrid said Benzema “has represented the values” of Madrid and “has earned the right to decide his future”.

The announcement comes amid reports that Benzema will play in Saudi Arabia.

“Real Madrid would like to show our gratitude and affection to a player who is already one of our greatest legends,” the club said. “Fans all over the world alike have enjoyed his magical and unique football, which has made him one of the great icons of our club and one of the great legends of world football.”

The 35-year-old Benzema had been with Madrid since 2009, playing 14 seasons with the club. He helped Madrid win 25 titles, a record for any player with the Spanish powerhouse.

Among his titles were five Champions Leagues, five Club World Cups and four Spanish leagues.

Benzema is the current Ballon d’Or winner and UEFA’s player of the year. He had a memorable season in 2021-22, leading Madrid to the Champions League title with a competition-best 15 goals.

Benzema has made 647 appearances for Madrid, fifth most by any player. He is the club’s second all-time leading scorer with 353 goals. The Frenchman is the fourth top scorer in the history of the Champions League and the fourth top scorer in the history of the Spanish league.

“Benzema’s career at Real Madrid has been a shining example of conduct and professionalism,” Madrid said.

The club said it will organise an “act of homage and farewell” for Benzema.

“Real Madrid is and always will be his home, and we wish him and all his family all the best in this new stage of his life,” Madrid said.

Three other players are also leaving Madrid this summer: Eden Hazard, Marco Asensio and Mariano Díaz.

251 leave for first haj flight

National

June 4, 2023

A family member seen breaking into tears while bidding farewell to a pilgrim. PHOTO: KHAYR ZAKARIYYA

The first flight out carrying 251 on a haj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia left Brunei International Airport on Sunday morning.

The flight is expected to arrive in Madinah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at 1.40pm local time.

Four haj affairs administration and medical officials accompanied the pilgrims, who are also accompanied by various representatives from travel agents.

Minister of Religious Affairs Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang Badaruddin bin Pengarah Dato Paduka Haji Awang Othman, Minister of Culture Youth and Sports and Acting Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Nazmi bin Haji Mohamad as well as other senior officials bade the pilgrims farewell.

More details in Monday’s Borneo Bulletin.

With oil prices slumping, OPEC+ producers weigh more production cuts

Business

June 4, 2023

OPEC Oil Prices — The logo of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is seen outside of OPEC's headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on March 3, 2022. PHOTO: AP

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) – The major oil-producing countries led by Saudi Arabia and Russia are wrestling with whether to make another cut in supply to the global economy as the OPEC+ alliance struggles to prop up sagging oil prices that have been a boon to US drivers and helped ease inflation worldwide.

The 23-member group is meeting Sunday at the Organisation for Petroleum Exporting Countries’ (OPEC) headquarters in Vienna after sending mixed signals about possible moves. Saudi Arabia, dominant among the oil cartel’s members, has warned speculators that they might get burned by betting on lower prices. Russia, the leader of the non-OPEC allies, has indicated no change to output is expected.

The decision comes amid uncertainty about when the slow-growing global economy will regain its thirst for fuel for travel and industry, and with producers counting on oil profits to bolster their coffers.

Oil prices have fallen even after OPEC+ slashed two million barrels per day in October, angering US President Joe Biden by threatening higher gasoline prices a month before the midterm elections. Then, several OPEC members led by the Saudis made a surprise cut of 1.16 million barrels a day in April.

International benchmark Brent crude climbed as high as USD87 per barrel but has given up its post-cut gains and been loitering below USD75 per barrel in recent days. US crude has dipped below USD70.

Those lower prices have helped US drivers as the summer travel season kicks off, with prices at the pump averaging USD3.55, down USD1.02 from a year ago, according to auto club AAA. Falling energy prices also helped inflation in the 20 European countries that use the euro drop to the lowest level since before Russia invaded Ukraine.

The US recently replenished its Strategic Petroleum Reserve — after Biden announced the largest release from the national reserve in American history last year — in an indicator that US officials may be less worried about OPEC cuts than in months past.

The Saudis, on the other hand, need sustained high oil revenue to fund ambitious development projects aimed at diversifying the country’s economy. The International Monetary Fund estimates the kingdom needs USD80.90 per barrel to meet its envisioned spending commitments, which include a planned USD500 billion futuristic desert city project called Neom.

That may have been one motivation behind Energy Minister Abdulaziz bin Salman’s warning to speculators that they will be “ouching” if they keep betting on lower oil prices.

Bin Salman’s pointed comment isn’t necessarily a prelude to a cut at Sunday’s meeting, said James Swanston, Middle East and North Africa economist at Capital Economics.

“Our expectation is that OPEC+ will stick with current output quotas,” he said, adding that “there have been signs that the government may be readying to live with lower oil prices and running budget deficits.”

On top of that, Russia may find current prices to its liking because its oil is finding eager new customers in India, China and Turkey. Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine have forced Russian oil to sell at discounts of around USD53 to USD57 per barrel.

At those prices, Moscow’s shipments avoid triggering the USD60 price cap imposed by the Group of Seven major democracies to try to limit oil profits flowing into Russia’s war chest. The price ceiling allows the world’s Number 3 oil producer to keep supplying non-Western customers to avoid a global shortage that would drive up prices for everyone.

Insurers and shipping companies largely based in Western countries are barred from handling Russian oil if it is priced above the cap. Russia has found ways to evade the limits through “dark fleet” tankers, which tamper with transponders showing their locations or transfer oil from ship to ship to disguise its origin.

The logo of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is seen outside of OPEC’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on March 3, 2022. PHOTO: AP

An OPEC+ “production cut could push the price of Russian oil above the G7 price cap of USD60 per barrel, which would make it difficult to transport and thus to sell the oil,” commodity analyst Carsten Fritsch at Commerzbank wrote in a research note. “Russia appears to be doing good business at the current price level.”

The International Energy Agency said in its April oil market report that Russia has not completely followed through on its announcement to extend a voluntary cut of 500,000 barrels per day through the end of the year.

In fact, Russia’s total exports of oil and refined products such as diesel fuel rose in April to a post-invasion high of 8.3 million barrels per day. That is in spite of a near-total boycott from the European Union, formerly Russia’s biggest customer.

Analysts say OPEC+ faces conflicting pressures. A cut could support prices or send them higher, with demand expected to pick up later this year.

“The impact of higher oil prices on the global economy will weigh heavily on the ministers’ minds,” said Jorge Leon, senior vice president of oil market research at Rystad Energy. “High oil prices would fuel inflation in the West right when central banks are starting to see inflation gradually recede.”

“This could prompt central banks to continue increasing interest rates, a detrimental move for the global economy and oil demand,” Leon wrote in a research note.

What to know as Prince Harry prepares to take on a British tabloid publisher in court

Features

June 4, 2023

Britain Prince Harry Legal Cases — Britain's Prince Harry leaves the Royal Courts Of Justice in London on Thursday. PHOTO: AP

LONDON (AP) – Prince Harry is going where other British royals haven’t for over a century: to a courtroom witness stand.

The Duke of Sussex is set to testify in the first of his five pending legal cases largely centred around battles with British tabloids. Opening statements are scheduled Monday in his case.

Harry said in court documents that the royal family had assiduously avoided the courts to prevent testifying about matters that might be embarrassing.

His frustration and anger at the press, however, impelled him to buck convention by suing newspaper owners — allegedly against the wishes of his father, now King Charles III.

If Harry testifies as scheduled Tuesday in his lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mirror, he’ll be the first member of the royal family to do so since the late 19th century, when Queen Victoria’s eldest son, Prince Albert Edward, testified twice in court.

The man who would go on to become King Edward VII testified in the divorce proceedings of a woman he was accused of having an affair with (he denied it) and in a slander case involving a man who cheated at cards. Edward VII was the great-grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II, Harry’s grandmother.

Britain’s Prince Harry leaves the Royal Courts Of Justice in London on March 30. PHOTO: AP

A look at Prince Harry’s legal battles:

Harry’s history with phone hacking and paparazzi

The Daily Mirror case is one of three Harry has brought alleging phone hacking and other invasions of his privacy, dating back to when he was a boy.

In court documents, he described his relationship with the press as “uneasy” in court documents, but it runs much deeper than that. The prince blames paparazzi for causing the car crash that killed his mother, the late Princess Diana.

He also cites harassment and intrusion by the British Press and “vicious, persistent attacks” on his wife, Meghan, including racist articles, as the reason the couple left royal life and fled to the US in 2020. Reforming the news media has become one of his life’s missions.

News that British journalists hacked phones for scoops first emerged in 2006 with the arrest of a private investigator and the royals reporter at the now-defunct News of the World. The two were jailed, and the reporter apologized for hacking phones used by aides of Harry, his older brother, Prince William, and their father.

A full-blown hacking scandal erupted five years later when it was revealed that the Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid eavesdropped on voicemails on the phone of a slain girl, forcing the paper to close and launching a public inquiry.

Since that time, other newspapers have been accused of illegal intrusions that extended to tapping phones, bugging homes and using deception to obtain phone, bank and medical records.

Who is Harry suing?

The duke is taking on three of Britain’s best-known tabloid publishers.

In addition to Mirror Group Newspapers, he is suing Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun, and Associated Newspapers Ltd., which owns the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.

The claims are similar: that journalists and people they employed listened to phone messages and committed other unlawful acts to snoop on Harry and invade his privacy.

In a sign of how much the cases matter to him, Harry attended several days of hearings in March in the case against the Mail publisher.

Several celebrities with similar allegations have also filed claims being heard alongside Harry’s, including Hugh Grant in the News Group case, and Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley in the Associated Newspapers case.

Associated Newspapers “vigorously denies” the claims. News Group has apologized for News of the World’s hacking but The Sun does not accept liability or admit to any of the allegations, according to spokespeople.

Both publishers argued during High Court hearings this spring that the lawsuits should be thrown out because Harry and the others failed to bring them within a six-year time limit.

Attorney David Sherborne, who represents Britain’s Prince Harry in the phone hacking lawsuit against the publisher of The Daily Mail, arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on March 29. PHOTO: AP

The lawyer representing Harry and other claimants said they should be granted an exception because the publishers lied and concealed evidence that prevented them from learning of the covert acts in time to meet the deadlines.

What’s the current trial about?

At the outset of the proceedings, Mirror Group appeared to fall on its sword, acknowledging instances when its newspapers unlawfully gathered information. It apologized in court papers and said Harry and two of the other three claimants in the case were due compensation.

But the admission involving Harry — the hiring of a private eye to dig up unspecified dirt for an article about his nightclubbing — wasn’t among the nearly 150 articles between 1995 and 2011 for which he claimed Mirror Group reporters used phone hacking and other illegal methods to gather material. The trial is focusing on 33 of those stories.

Harry’s lawyer, David Sherborne, said unlawful acts by reporters and editors at the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People were “widespread and habitual” and carried out on “an industrial scale.” He pointed the finger at management, in particular TV personality Piers Morgan, a former Daily Mirror editor.

Honoree Piers Morgan is interviewed at The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence 2013 Los Angeles Benefit Event at The Beverly Hills Hotel on May 7, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. PHOTO: AP

Morgan has publicly denied involvement in phone hacking, as has Mirror Group in its court submissions. Mirror lawyer Andrew Green said a substantial proportion of the articles at issue involved a “breathtaking level of triviality” and that with the exception of a few instances of unlawful information gathering, the company’s reporters had used public records and sources to legally obtain information.

The trial is a test case involving four claimants, including two members of Britain’s longest-running soap opera, “Coronation Street.” But the verdict could determine the outcome of hacking claims also made against Mirror Group by the estate of the late singer George Michael, former Girls Aloud member Cheryl and former soccer player Ian Wright.

The case is broken into two parts: a generic case that lasted nearly three weeks in which Harry’s lawyer laid out evidence of alleged skullduggery at the newspapers; the second part, starting Monday, with the four claimants testifying about specific acts targeting them.

What are the other lawsuits about?

Harry’s fear and loathing of the press intersects with two active cases that center around the government’s decision to stop protecting him after he abandoned royal duties.

Harry argued his security is compromised when he visits the UK, saying that aggressive paparazzi chased him after a charity event in 2021. He sued the British government for withdrawing his security detail.

With that lawsuit pending, he unsuccessfully tried to challenge the government’s subsequent rejection of his offer to pay for his own police protection.

A judge is weighing whether Harry’s libel suit against Associated Newspapers for reporting that he tried to hide his legal efforts to get the British government to provide security should go to trial.

“How Prince Harry tried to keep his legal fight with the government over police bodyguards a secret… then — just minutes after the story broke — his PR machine tried to put a positive spin on the dispute,” the Mail on Sunday wrote in its headline.

In past cases, Meghan won an invasion of privacy case in 2021 against the Mail on Sunday for printing a private letter she wrote to her father. That led to a GBP1 settlement for violating her privacy and an undisclosed sum for copyright infringement.

The couple has also settled lawsuits against photo agencies for flying a drone over their California home and a helicopter over a home where they were living in England.

North Korean leader’s sister vows second attempt to launch spy satellite, slams UN meeting

World

June 4, 2023

Koreas Tensions — Kim Yo Jong attends a wreath-laying ceremony at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, Vietnam, on March 2, 2019. PHOTO: AP

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed again Sunday to push for a second attempt to launch a spy satellite as she lambasted a UN Security Council meeting over the North’s first, failed launch.

The North’s attempt to put its first military spy satellite into orbit last Wednesday failed as its rocket crashed off the Korean Peninsula’s western coast. An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council was still convened at the request of the US, Japan and other countries to discuss the launch because it had violated council resolutions banning the North from performing any launch using ballistic technology.

On Sunday, Kim’s sister and senior ruling party official, Kim Yo Jong, called the UN council “a political appendage” of the United States, saying its recent meeting was convened following America’s “gangster-like request.”

She accused the UN council of being “discriminative and rude” because it only takes issue with the North’s satellite launches while thousands of satellites launched by other countries are already operating in space. She said her country’s attempt to acquire a spy satellite is a legitimate step to respond to military threats posed by the US and its allies.

“(North Korea) will continue to take proactive measures to exercise all the lawful rights of a sovereign state, including the one to a military reconnaissance satellite launch,” Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by state media.

In her earlier statement Friday, Kim Yo Jong said the North’s spy satellite “will be correctly put on space orbit in the near future” but didn’t say when its second launch attempt would take place.

Kim Yo Jong attends a wreath-laying ceremony at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, Vietnam, on March 2, 2019. PHOTO: AP

South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers Wednesday it will likely take “more than several weeks” for North Korea to learn the cause of the failed launch but it may attempt a second launch soon if defects aren’t serious.

Washington, Seoul and others criticized the North’s satellite launch for raising international tensions and urged it to return to talks.

A military surveillance satellite is among a list of sophisticated weapons systems that Kim Jong Un has vowed to acquire amid protracted security tensions with the United States. Since the start of 2022, Kim has carried out more than 100 missile tests in what he called a warning over expanded military drills between the US and South Korea.

Experts say Kim would want to use his modernized weapons arsenal to wrest concessions from Washington and its partners in future diplomacy.

North Korea was slapped with rounds of UN sanctions over its past nuclear and missile tests and satellite launches. But the UN Security Council failed to toughen those sanctions over North Korea’s recent testing activities because China and Russia, both permanent members of the UN council, blocked the US and others’ attempts to do so. During the latest UN council session Friday, China and Russia again clashed with the US over the North’s failed launch.

After repeated failures, North Korea placed Earth-observation satellites into orbit in 2012 and 2016, but foreign experts say there is no evidence that either satellite transmitted imagery and other data.

Also Sunday, North Korea threatened not to notify the International Maritime Organization (IMO) of future satellite launches in advance to protest the group’s condemnation of North Korean missile tests.

The IMO’s maritime safety committee on Wednesday adopted a rare resolution denouncing North Korea for conducting launches without proper notification that “seriously threatened the safety of seafarers and international shipping.”

Kim Myong Chol, an international affairs analyst in North Korea, said in a statement carried by state media: “In the future, IMO should know and take measures by itself over the period of (North Korea’s) satellite launch and the impact point of its carrier and be prepared to take full responsibility for all the consequences from it.”

Ahead of its recent spy satellite launch, North Korea told the IMO and Japan that a launch would occur between May 31 and June 11.

Shenzhou XV crew lands in Inner Mongolia

World

June 4, 2023

BEIJING (XINHUA) – The Shenzhou XV mission crew returned to Earth on Sunday morning after a six-month mission that witnessed the completion of the Tiangong space station.

A reentry capsule carrying the crew members — Mission Commander Major General Fei Junlong, Senior Colonel Deng Qingming and Senior Colonel Zhang Lu — touched down on Earth at the Dongfeng Landing Site in northwestern China’s Gobi Desert at 6.33am after flying for nine hours in a reentry trajectory.

Ground recovery personnel soon opened the hatch of the capsule and conducted a preliminary examination of the astronauts’ condition.

The crew members told ground controllers in Beijing via radio that they had safely landed and were “feeling pretty good”.

The return capsule of the Shenzhou XV manned spaceship, carrying astronauts Fei Junlong, Deng Qingming and Zhang Lu, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region safely on Sunday. PHOTO: XINHUA

After preparatory work, ground personnel carried the astronauts out of the capsule one by one to place them on chairs in front of the capsule.

While seated, the astronauts shared their feelings and thoughts with a reporter from China Central Television in a live program.

Fei, who was on his second spaceflight, said his crew has completed all of their tasks before returning safely to the motherland and all of them “are in good condition”.

Deng, the last in the first generation of Chinese astronauts to go to space, told the State broadcaster that he was very happy to return to “the embrace of Earth and my motherland” and see so many friends.

“At this moment, I wish to thank all Chinese people for their attention, support and encouragement. I also want to thank all space industry workers involved in this mission for their company over the past over 180 days,” he said.

Deng trained 25 years only to wait for an opportunity to fly into space, becoming an icon of Chinese astronauts’ perseverance and devotion.

Sitting in front of the landing capsule, Deng said his experiences over the past 25 years had reinforced his belief in the power of dream and persistence.

“No matter how old I am, knowing that I could be summoned to serve the motherland is always the happiest thing to me,” he said.

Zhang recalled that he often tried to spot China, his hometown in Hunan province as well as the Dongting Lake when the Tiangong space station flew over the country.

“Though these places were often hidden by thick clouds, they were always in my heart and mind. We will go back to training as soon as our body condition permits. We will always be ready to return to space to contribute to this great ‘New Era’ and fulfill the duties given by the Party and the people,” he said.

After the interview, the astronauts were moved into special vehicles for health checks.

Over the next couple of hours, they were to be transferred to a nearby airport, where they would board a jet to fly back to Beijing.

As the fourth group to go to the Chinese station, Fei and his teammates were launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China on November 29 and entered the space station the next day to meet their Shenzhou XIV peers. The two crews’ meeting marked the first time six Chinese people were traveling in outer space at the same time and also the first in-orbit handover between two Chinese crews.

By Saturday night, they had stayed in orbit for 186 days.

During their stay, the Tiangong was announced to be completed at the end of 2022.

The Shenzhou XV team carried out four spacewalks and installed a host of equipment outside the Tiangong, becoming the most experienced Chinese crew in terms of extravehicular activity. They also conducted dozens of science experiments and technology tests and obtained a great deal of data.

Before setting out on their return trip, Fei’s team configured the Tiangong, transmitted science data back to Earth and sorted and transferred materials between the station and their spaceship.

On Friday afternoon, a brief handover ceremony took place inside Tiangong, with Fei and his crew members formally giving control of the massive station to the Shenzhou XVI flight team that arrived on Tuesday.

On Saturday night, the Shenzhou XV astronauts moved into their spacecraft and left the Tiangong space station at 9.29pm.

Their successors, the Shenzhou XVI crew — mission commander Major General Jing Haipeng, Colonel Zhu Yangzhu and Professor Gui Haichao, who is the first Chinese civilian in space — will run the Tiangong, one of the largest pieces of infrastructure ever deployed in Earth’s orbit, for five months and are scheduled to return in November.

Borneo Bulletin OnlineThe Independent Newspaper in Brunei Darussalam, Sabah and Sarawak

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