King And Queen Of Sweden Tour Temburong District

On the second day of their state visit yesterday, His Majesty King Carl the XV1 Gustaf and Her Majesty Queen Silvia made a visit to the Temburong District.  Their Majesties were accompanied by Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Masna and Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Lela Cheteria Sahibun Najabah Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Aziz.  On arrival at the Temburong jetty, Their Majesties the King and Queen of Sweden were greeted by the Special Advisor to His Majesty at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Home Affairs, Pehin Dato Laila Utama Haji Isa.  Also present were the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Dato Paduka Haji Adanan, the Permanent Secretaries at the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Temburong District Officer.

Their Majesties the King and Queen of Sweden first visited the Kampung Sumbiling Longhouse which is situated about 16 kilometres from Bangar Town.  Their Majesties were welcomed by the head of the longhouse, Awang Igat Anak Tarang.  The Swedish King and Queen showed their keen interest in the cultural welcoming dance, ‘The Ngajat’, performed by the Iban folks of the longhouse.  The Swedish royal visitors consented to receive a souvenir from the District Officer and the head of the Sumbiling Baru longhouse.  Their Majesties then took a closer look at a display of Iban traditional clothings and accessories, as well as local handicraft products such as baskets and mats, put up by the Iban community.  Before leaving, the Swedish King and Queen consented to get together with the residents of the longhouse and chat with them.

Late Sunday afternoon, His Majesty King Carl the XV1 Gustaf and Her Majesty Queen Silvia visited Temburong District which boasts the uniqueness of Brunei Darussalam’s green heritage of the interior rainforests.  Their Majesties were accompanied during the visit by Her Royal Highness Princess Hajah Masna and Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran Lela Cheteria Sahibun Najabah Pengiran Anak Haji Abdul Aziz, as well as by the Minister of Education, Pehin Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Abdul Aziz as the Minister-In-Attendance.  The Swedish royal entourage was also comprised of other senior government officials and their spouses. 

The entourage used temuais to reach the Ulu Temburong National Park, due to the shallow depths of the rapids that they had to navigate through.  Their Royal Majesties were greeted at the Ulu Temburong National Park by its staff as well as by some members of the Faculty of the University of Brunei Darussalam.  The royal visitors were then given a presentation on the history and background as well as the current activities of the National Park. Established as a research centre, it is run by the Forestry Department, and offers many opportunities for local and foreign researchers and academicians.

The entourage then proceeded to the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre, some ten minutes ride by the temuais further upriver, where His Royal Majesty King Carl the Sixteenth Gustaf then took up the challenge of climbing up the Ashton Trail deep into the rainforests.  His Royal Majesty, an experienced army officer and a devoted naturalist, enjoyed the sights and sounds of the natural surroundings and even consented to release some field mouse that had been in captivity, back into the wild.  Their Royal Majesties and their entourage then proceeded to view the waterfall at Sungai Esu, about twenty minutes temuai ride upriver from the Kuala Belalong Field Studies Centre, the last stop of Their Majesties’ visit  to Temburong.