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Requirements ease for COVID recovered travellers

Rokiah Mahmud & Adib Noor

Travellers planning to enter Brunei Darussalam from April 1 will be exempted from providing a negative RT-PCR test and undergoing mandatory self-isolation, provided they have proof of recovery from COVID-19 in the past 90 days.

This was said by Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar during the daily press conference yesterday, adding that among the valid documents is a recovery certificate showing they have been infected and recovered from the virus in the past three months.

“The only requirement is to undergo an antigen rapid test (ART) screening on arrival in the Sultanate, which costs BND20 per person,” said the minister.

Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham also said there are currently nine patients in Category 4 and another one in Category 5, taking up 3.8 per cent of the treatment capacity at the National Isolation Centre (NIC).

Meanwhile, 792 new cases were reported yesterday, bringing the tally to 131,403 since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the figure, 695 derived from ART results uploaded to the BruHealth app, while 97 were from 2,670 RT-PCR tests performed in the past 24 hours.

ABOVE & BELOW: Mas Ridzuan bin Pungut; and Pawez Ahamad. PHOTOS: RBPF

The minister also shared that 1,560 cases recovered yesterday, bringing the total recoveries to 124,465.

In addition, he said, the bed occupancy rate at isolation centres nationwide is 3.1 per cent, with 122 out of 6,736 active cases receiving treatment at isolation centres and hospitals.

The remaining positive cases are undergoing home isolation.

As of March 26, 60.8 per cent of the population had received three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham added.

Enforcement personnel also detected four violations during the movement restriction order from midnight to 4am yesterday. Mas Ridzuan bin Pungut and Pawez Ahamad were found breaching the stay-at-home directive and mask mandate in Brunei-Muara District.

Tree blocks bridge traffic

James Kon

A tree fell on Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Bridge blocking the road leading to Kota Batu last Friday.

Firefighters from Bangar Fire Station, led by ABKS 629 Haji Md Yusra bin Haji Md Yussof, were immediately dispatched to clear the debris from a rubber tree measuring 25 metres tall and 20 centimetres in diameter.

Acting Station Commander of Bangar Fire Station ASFR Jamaluddin bin Ahmad oversaw the operation, along with Bangar Police Station personnel.

In light of the incident, the Fire and Rescue Department (FRD) advised the public against planting trees too close to their residences and exercise caution when driving in heavily wooded areas in turbulent weather conditions.

Firefighters clearing the road. PHOTO: FRD

TAP counters close on March 31

The Employees Trust Fund (TAP) announced the closure of TAP payment, registration and withdrawal counters at all branches on March 31 due to the closing of accounts for financial year 2021-2022.

Operating hours for general enquiries and e-Amanah pitstop will be 8am to noon and 1.30pm to 3.30pm for TAP headquarters and Belait branch; and 8am to 11.30am and 1.30pm to 3.30pm for Tutong and Temburong branches.

TAP online service, e-Amanah, e-Info Kiosk and TAP Call Centre will operate as usual. For Housing Fund Scheme (STP) members, contribution payment for March can be made via online banking by March 31.

All TAP counters will resume normal operation on April 2 (if Ramadhan falls on Sunday) or April 4 (if Ramadhan falls on Saturday). For enquiries, contact TAP Call Centre at 2382929 during office hours or via e-mail at ask@tap.com.bn.

Sinopec plans its biggest capital expenditure

BEIJING (CNA) – China Petroleum and Chemical Corp, better known as Sinopec, is planning its highest capital investment in history for 2022 after recording its best profit in a decade, echoing Beijing’s call for energy companies to raise production.

Sinopec expects to spend CNY198 billion (USD31.10 billion) in 2022, up 18 per cent from a year ago, beating the previous record of CNY181.7 billion set in 2013, according to a company statement filed to the Shanghai Stocks Exchange yesterday.

It plans to invest CNY81.5 billion in upstream exploitation, especially the crude oil bases in Shunbei and Tahe fields, and natural gas fields in Sichuan province and the Inner Mongolia region.

“Looking ahead in 2022, the market demand for refined oil will continued to recover, and demand for natural gas and petrochemical products will keep growing,” Sinopec said in the statement.

It also warned of potential impacts of geopolitical challenges and volatile oil prices on the investment and operation at overseas businesses. But the firm did not name any specific project.

Media reported that Sinopec Group suspended talks for a major petrochemical investment and a gas marketing venture in Russia, heeding a government call for caution as sanctions mount over the invasion of Ukraine.

A pumpjack at the Sinopec-operated Shengli oil field in Dongying, Shandong province, China. PHOTO: CNA

Brent oil prices have gained 52 per cent so far this year and hit as high as USD139 a barrel in early March, stoked by fears of supply disruption in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Sinopec recorded its biggest profit in a decade in 2021 on the back of recovering energy demand and oil price increases in the post-COVID era, with net earnings reaching CNY71.21 billion yuan.

It plans to produce 281.2 million barrels of crude oil and 12,567 billion cubic feet of natural gas in 2022, up from its output of 279.76 million barrels and 1,199 billion cubic feet
in 2021.

Beijing seeks to ensure energy safety in the country amid intensifying geopolitical risks. It wants to keep annual crude oil output at 200 million tonnes and crank up natural gas production to more than 230 billion cubic metres (bcm) by 2025 from 205 bcm in 2021.

Crude throughput and production of refined oil products at Sinopec are expected to stay around the same level in 2022 from a year ago, at 258 million tonnes and 147 million tonnes, respectively.

But demand for gasoline and diesel are dented in China as more than 2,000 of daily COVID cases have triggered local authorities to impose stringent travel restrictions while manufacturers suspended operations amid supply chain clogs.

Second black box of crashed China Eastern plane recovered

BEIJING (AFP) – The second black box has been recovered from last week’s deadly China Eastern plane crash, state media reported yesterday, and could help solve the mystery of the jet’s breakneck descent.

The Boeing 737-800 was flying between the cities of Kunming and Guangzhou last Monday when it nosedived into a mountainside, disintegrating on impact and killing all 132 people on board.

The cause of the disaster, China’s deadliest plane crash in more than 30 years, is not
yet known.

“The second black box from China Eastern flight MU5735 was recovered on March 27,” Xinhua news agency reported.

Public broadcaster CCTV broadcast images of rescuers recovering an orange-coloured cylinder covered in soil, which was discovered 1.5 metres deep at the roots of a tree.

The plane was equipped with two flight recorders: a cockpit voice recorder and one in the rear passenger cabin tracking flight data.

A worker during a search operation at the crash site. PHOTO: AP

The former was found on Wednesday and sent to Beijing for analysis. The second black box contains data such as speed, altitude and heading.

Hundreds of people, including firefighters, doctors and investigators – some dressed in full body protective suits – remained at the scene of the tragedy yesterday recovering human remains and the wreckage of the plane.

Earthmovers assisted in the operation on the mountainside, which is covered in dense vegetation.

Early recovery efforts were hampered by heavy rain, forcing a temporary pause due to what state media called the “the small risk of landslides” in the large pit that was bored out by the impact of the aircraft. The Boeing 737-800 plane went down near Wuzhou in southern China last Monday afternoon after losing contact with air traffic control.

Tracking website FlightRadar24 showed the jet sharply dropped from an altitude of 29,100 to 7,850 feet in a minute.

After a brief upswing, it dropped again to 3,225 feet, the tracker said. There is no data for the flight after 2.22pm.

The captain had more than 6,700 hours of flight experience and the first co-pilot had more than 31,000 hours of flight time, officials said.

The Chinese Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC) on Saturday evening said that all of the people on board the aircraft had died.

Water disruption in Mukim Labi

Rokiah Mahmud

The Public Works Department (JKR) announced that Mukim Labi and its surrounding areas faced water disruptions and low water pressure yesterday, which were due to emergency repairs of a damaged ductile iron pipe. The ductile iron pipe measuring 350 millimetres in diameter near overcrossing No 32 at Jalan Labi is being repaired and the department advised the public to conserve water.

For complaints, contact Darussalam Line 123.

Minister leads tree planting event

Lyna Mohamad

Minister of Development Dato Seri Setia Ir Awang Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Gafar officiated and led a tree planting ceremony to mark Global Surveyors’ Day (GSD) 2022 at the Tanjung Batu Recreational Park in Muara yesterday.

Legislative Council (LegCo) members Yang Berhormat Khairunnisa binti Haji Ash’ari; and Kampong Masjid Lama, Pekan Muara, Sabun and Pelumpong Village Head and Acting Mukim Serasa Penghulu Yang Berhormat Pengiran Haji Mohamed bin Pengiran Haji Osman @ Othman were also present.

Deputy Minister of Development Dato Seri Paduka Ar Haji Marzuke bin Haji Mohsin also joined the tree planting event. The activity started with a group photo session followed by the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah and Doa against COVID-19 and an aerobic session.

The event continued with the minister initiating the tree planting.

The tree planting event is the last of a series of activities to mark GSD 2022. A total of 300 saplings were planted to support the Green Protocol to achieve the national target set out by Brunei Darussalam National Climate Change Policy (BNCCP).

The event concluded with the distribution of gift packs and certificates to Virtual Run 22km participants held from March 1 to 25.

ABOVE & BELOW: Minister of Development Dato Seri Setia Ir Awang Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Gafar, Deputy Minister of Development Dato Seri Paduka Ar Awang Haji Marzuke bin Haji Mohsin and senior officials from the Ministry of Development; and Legislative Council member Yang Berhormat Khairunnisa binti Haji Ash’ari at the tree planting event. PHOTOS: LYNA MOHAMAD

Venezuela’s risky currency stabilisation to tackle inflation

CARACAS (AFP) – Venezuela has been in recession for eight years, suffered four years of hyperinflation and endured a currency in free fall.

But the beleaguered bolivar has, against all odds, managed to stabilise since October.

It is thanks to a USD2.2-billion investment by the state in a bid to slow down inflation in the South American nation.

Last year ended with inflation at 686 per cent – the highest in the world.

But that was a significant improvement on the 130,000 per cent in 2018, 9,585 per cent in 2019 and 3,000 per cent in 2020.

According to consultancy Aristimuno Herrera and Associates, Venezuela’s central bank has injected USD2.2 billion into the internal market in 2021-2022.

Banned for 15 years by the government, the US dollar was once scarce and highly prized, exchanging hands on the black market for signficantly more than the official exchange rate.

Suffering a cashflow crisis, the government was forced to lift the ban in 2019.

“Offering more dollars than there is demand generates stability in the exchange rate,” director at Aristimuno Herrera and Associates Cesar Aristimuno told AFP.

The bank acknowledged 29 “interventions” since October 2021, although without giving details of the amounts.

Last October, the bank slashed six zeros off the bolivar – making one new bolivar worth a million old ones – with the government saying this would improve faith in the
local currency.

At the same time, authorities imposed a three per cent tax on foreign currency transactions and cryptocurrencies.

Since October, the exchange rate against the dollar has moved from VES4.18 to VES4.32, a depreciation of just 3.24 per cent.

That compares favourably to the depreciation of 76 per cent in 2021 and more than 95 per cent in each of the previous three years.

After shrinking by over 80 per cent during eight years of recession, Venezuelan gross domestic product (GDP) grew by four per cent in 2021, the government claims.

Rehabilitated dolphin arrives at Florida Keys facility

MARATHON, FLORIDA (AP) – A juvenile bottlenose dolphin has been flown to the Florida Keys for permanent sanctuary after spending nine months healing at a Texas-based marine rehabilitation centre.

The orphaned male calf, named ‘Ranger’, arrived on Friday at the Florida Keys-based Dolphin Research Center. He was rescued in June 2021 after being discovered stranded in waters around Goose Island State Park in Texas suffering from an underlying respiratory infection and dehydration.

He was found near his dead mother and was transported to the Texas State Aquarium Wildlife Rescue Center.

The National Marine Fisheries Service determined the dolphin could not survive in the wild and chose the Dolphin Research Center to care for the marine mammal for the rest of his life.

“We provide sanctuary for any dolphins in need of a forever home,” said DRC’s vice president of animal care and training Linda Erb.

Sarah Zigmond of the Texas State Aquarium Wildlife Rescue Center feeds Ranger, a two-year-old bottlenose dolphin, PHOTO: AP

“Often times when a dolphin like this is found at such a young age, he has not learned the skills to catch his own fish.”

Operations coordinator for Texas State Aquarium Sarah Zigmond was at DRC for Ranger’s arrival.

“I’ve been with Ranger since his rescue and so to see the culmination of his entire rescue and rehabilitation come to fruition in his new forever home made me quite emotional, but it was all happy emotions,” Zigmond said.

After an initial monitoring period in a medical quarantine pool to build up his immune system, Ranger will be slowly introduced to other resident dolphins and acclimate to the dolphin lagoons in Florida Bay.

Sabah, Sarawak to benefit from Indonesia’s new capital city economic spillover

JAKARTA (BERNAMA) – Sabah and Sarawak are set to benefit from Indonesia’s decision to shift its capital city from Jakarta to Kalimantan, which is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2024.

This was revealed during a briefing by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) Jakarta during a roundtable session with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapha Mohamed (Bernama pic right).

“The shifting of Indonesia’s capital city is expected to result in economic and development spillovers that will trickle down to Sabah and Sarawak through border economy,” Ongkili said.
Also present at the session was Chargé d’affaires of the Malaysian Embassy in Indonesia Adlan Mohd Shaffieq.

KADIN is an umbrella organisation comprising Indonesian business chambers and associations that focusses on matters related to national and international trade, industry and services.

With 34 regional chambers and 524 branches, it is the only nationwide business organisation mandated by the Indonesian authorities to speak on behalf of private businesses, liaise with government officials and cover relevant sectors.

Ongkili, who led a Malaysian delegation for a week-long official visit to Indonesia, highlighted that KADIN is already working on a few matters with the Malaysian government to boost bilateral and economic relations.

He said there is a need to develop better infrastructure as well as the establishment of better security control such as the setting up of the Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security complexes at all entry points along the Kalimantan – Sabah and Sarawak borders.

He added that Sabah and Sarawak must take advantage of the opportunities that will be made available in light of both states’ proximity to Indonesia’s new state capital.

“Bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and Indonesia has long existed, but there is still room for improvement,” he said.

Ongkili and his delegates are scheduled to meet up with top officials in Indonesia to discuss various matters, especially those related to bilateral relations, the economy and other international issues.

The team of delegates include Sabah Deputy Chief Minister cum Industrial Development Minister Datuk Dr Joachim Gunsalam and Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister cum state International Trade, Industry and Investment Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.

Describing the week-long visit as ‘timely and strategic’, Ongkili said the team aims to get first-hand information on the location of the new Indonesian capital and its likely impact on the border economy between Kalimantan and Sabah and Sarawak.

“We also hope the visit would enhance existing ties between the two countries, so that we can work closely, economically, socially and politically in the future,” he said.

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Borneo Bulletin is the leading English daily in the country. It was first published by Brunei Press. Today, Borneo Bulletin has become the foremost source of information on local and foreign affairs, and the region’s business news.

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