PM Wong to visit Brunei on Oct 9 to commemorate 50 years of defence relations

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will make a two-day visit to Brunei from Friday (Oct 9) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of defence relations between the two countries.

PM Wong and Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah will attend a joint parade at Muara Naval Base on Saturday, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said on Thursday (Oct 8).

"The parade will feature personnel and operational assets from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF)."

After the parade, the two leaders will jointly launch a commemorative gallery to showcase milestones in the bilateral defence relationship over the past 50 years.

PM Wong will also attend a lunch hosted by the sultan and visit SAF personnel training in Temburong and interact with them on their training experiences in Brunei.

The jungles of Temburong in Brunei have trained generations of SAF servicemen and women in survival for almost five decades.

Both militaries also interact through frequent bilateral exercises, professional exchanges, visits and cross-attendance of courses.

These exchanges have deepened mutual understanding and people-to-people ties between personnel from both armies, said the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) in an earlier statement on April 29, when the commander of the Royal Brunei Land Forces, Brigadier General Aldi Hasan, made his introductory visit .

Separately, PM Wong will also witness the delivery of four light fire attack vehicles developed by Singapore company HOPE Technik and customised for the Brunei Fire and Rescue Department.

PM Wong will be accompanied by his spouse, Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, MP Rachel Ong (Tanjong Pagar GRC), and officials from PMO, MINDEF and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong will be the Acting Prime Minister during PM Wong's absence.

总理黄循财将于周五（10月9日）起对文莱进行为期两天的访问，以纪念两国建立防务关系50周年。

首相办公室周四（10月8日）表示，总理黄之锋和文莱苏丹哈桑纳尔·博尔基亚将于周六在穆阿拉海军基地参加联合阅兵式。

“阅兵式将展出新加坡武装部队（SAF）和文莱皇家武装部队（RBAF）的人员和作战装备。”

阅兵式结束后，两国领导人将共同启动一个纪念馆，展示过去50年来双边防务关系的里程碑事件。

黄总理还将出席苏丹主持的午宴，并访问在淡布隆接受训练的新加坡武装部队人员，与他们交流在文莱的训练经历。

近五十年来，文莱淡布隆的丛林训练了一代又一代新加坡武装部队的男女军人进行野外生存训练。

两国军队还通过频繁的双边演习、专业交流、互访和共同参加课程等方式进行互动。

国防部在4月29日发表的一份声明中表示，这些交流加深了两国军队人员之间的相互了解和民间联系。当时，文莱皇家陆军司令阿尔迪·哈桑准将进行了首次访问。

此外，黄总理还将见证由新加坡 HOPE Technik 公司开发并为文莱消防救援部门定制的四辆轻型消防攻击车的交付。

黄总理将携夫人、公共服务统筹部长兼国防部长陈振声、外交部兼内政部政务部长朱卡纳因·阿卜杜勒·拉希姆、丹戎巴葛集选区议员王瑞秋以及总理公署、国防部和外交部的官员一同出席。

副总理颜金勇将在黄英贤总理缺席期间担任代总理。