His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddien Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-pertuan of Brunei Darussalam has consented to award more honorary medals of Brunei Darussalam. In a second such ceremony Wednesday, 573 medals of various merits were awarded, bringing the number of awardees to more than one thousand one hundred along with the 540 recipients at Monday's ceremony.

The award is made in conjunction with His Majesty's 58th Birthday Anniversary. His Majesty was represented at the ceremony by His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince. Wednesday's ceremony took place at the Dewan Persantapan Lapau in the capital. His Royal Highness first consented to award the Pingat Jasa Kebaktian, PJK  or

 Meritorious Service Medals to 29 people, followed by the award of the Pingat Indah Kerja Baik or PIKB to 272 people. Meanwhile, 259 received the Pingat Kerja Lama, or Long Service Medals. 13 police personnel also received the Police Long Service Medal.

The recipients comprised government employees from various ministries and government departments, members of the security forces as well as from the public sector. Recipients recommended for the awards should possess virtuous and creditable personality as well as good conduct. Other criteria also include undivided loyalty to His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, the nation and religion, and rendering good deeds and meritorious services.

To bless the ceremony, a doa selamat was read by the State Mufti, Pehin Dato Paduka Ustaz Haji Awang Abdul Aziz. Among those present at the ceremony were Yang Amat Mulia Pengiran-Pengiran Cheteria, Cabinet Ministers, Members of Councils, Deputy Ministers and Pehin-Pehin Manteri. Also present were Ambassadors, High Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Department.

The regional response towards the Asian tsunami disaster is the foremost agenda at the Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Council Conference in Hanoi. In this year's meeting the ministers focused on the organisation's institutional response to the Asian Tsunami Disaster that severely affected two members, Indonesia and Thailand.

Brunei Darussalam and the nine other ASEAN member countries also discussed efforts towards pressing education issues in the region. The issues include water and sanitation facilities in schools, the use of information technology, and education as a means for attaining peace.

Brunei Darussalam is represented by the Minister of Education, Pehin Dato Haji Awang Abdul Aziz during the four-day 40th Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organisation conference or SEAMEO for short. Besides signing several Memorandums of Understanding, the 10 education ministers also attended a special forum organised by the Ministry of Education and Training of Vietnam to explore the education offered to disadvantage children.

Officials and staff members of the Special Education Unit of the Ministry of Education are urged not to be complacent over the achievements accomplished by the Pre-Vocational Studies Programme during the last seven years. Efforts to equip special need students with high quality special education and to make them capable of contributing to the economic development and growth of the nation must be continued.

The Acting Director of Institute Technology Brunei, Doctor Haji Kassim bin Haji Daud laid the emphasis at the certificate presentation Wednesday for students who have completed their Pre-Vocational Program. He urged teachers to make it their goal to guide special need students to achieve high quality skills, not merely confine to their being able to acquire skills that they could not use to earn a living after they have left their pre-vocational studies programme. Rather it is a challenge for 'Home Room' teachers to change the destiny of these special needs students into becoming useful people instead of being burdens to the country.

The programme has been extended from three to five years. Fifty six students completed their Pre-Vocational Program course in the 2002-2004 session and forty of these have been selected to pursue their studies to year four and year five. More than twenty government and private institutions are providing work placements for the students.

The programme is aimed at helping students with learning difficulties to acquire basic academic, vocational and technical skills, and develop appropriate work behaviour and social skills to make them into successful and valued employees. The function took place in Gadong.

The police are seeking public assistance in tracing two permanent residents to assist them in their investigation into a commercial fraud. The duo are Duraman bin Kassim alias Tan Tian Choo alias Jeffery Tan, a 57-year old male Chinese Muslim convert and a Chinese woman Lau Lee King, aged 48-years.

Those with information on their whereabouts are asked to contact the Criminal Investigation Department, through telephone numbers: 2459500 extensions 214/217 during office hours or 2421333 or hotline 993.

Meanwhile, two foreign nationals were sentenced by the Bandar Seri Begawan Magistrates Court Wednesday for offences under the Immigration Act.

The two men, Perumal Ramesh, aged 29, from India was sentenced to 3 months imprisonment and 3 lashes, while Shamiurrahman Akhtar Hussain, aged 34, from Bangladesh, was sentenced to 4 months imprisonment and 3 lashes. Both men were found guilty for overstaying in the country after their immigration passes had expired.

The Hassanal Bolkiah Trophy 2005 saw Brunei Darussalam lose out to Myanmmar with a six - nil defeat in the Group B match that took place at the track and field of the Hassanal Bolkiah Sports Complex in Berakas Wednesday.

Meanwhile, two matches will be played in group A this afternoon. The Philippines will meet Vietnam at the Berakas Sports Complex and Malaysia will play against Indonesia at the Track and Field of the Hassanal Bolkiah Sports Complex. Both matches will start at four in the afternoon.

Thailand are at the top of the table in Group A, collecting four points from two matches, followed by Malaysia with three points and Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines with one point each. In Group B, Myanmar leads with six points, Laos and Brunei Darussalam have three points each while Singapore is yet to collect any points.