SARS Scares Off librarians and RBA Cuts Singapore Flights
By Rosli Abidin Yahya

Bandar Seri Begawan - The global scare Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) outbreak has forced the Congress of Southeast Asian Librarians (CONSAL) XII conference to be held here next month to be rescheduled.

A spokesperson of the organiser, Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Brunei Darussalam, said the international event had been put off till October.

The CONSAL XII is supposed to be held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Berakas from May 4 - 8.

However, as the death toll from the respiratory virus rises everyday and a vaccine is not in sight, CANSAL XII may have become the latest Sars casualty.

CONSAL XII is not the only Sars victim as other international events in the region had also been cancelled or rescheduled.

The CONSAL X11 conference, entitled ""Information Resources Empowerment: Enhancing Knowledge Heritage" is co-organised by the Brunei Darussalam Library Association and supported by the CONSAL Secretariat, Singapore and Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports, Brunei.

Participants for the event are expected to come from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) as well as from non-Asean region such as Australia, New Zealand, UK and other countries.

Meanwhile, the global threat of Sars that caused low demand and over-capacity of the Singapore routes has forced Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) to cancel some of its flights to and from Singapore from April 17 to April 30.

In a fax to travel agents, Royal Brunei said flights BI421 and BI422 from April 17 to 30 had been cancelled.

"Please ensure to advise your passengers accordingly," the fax stated.

The change in plans by travellers resulting from Sars has also made the smaller travel agencies suffer hardship.

A proprietor of a travel agent said she might need to close shop soon as business was bad.

"I hardly have any walk-in customers nowadays and business is really down.

"I am thinking of closing down or selling my company as my regular customers are also putting on hold their travel plans.

"Furthermore the postponement of Umrah season due to the US-led invasion of Iraq is another headache for me," said the proprietor who is hoping for a vaccine for Sars to be found in the near future so people will travel again.

Other travel agents may also need to cut the number of their staff.

Meanwhile Brunei's State Mufti Pehin Dato Awang Haji Abdul Aziz said the war on Iraq and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) are two types of disasters from Allah the Almighty.

Pehin Abdul Aziz was speaking in an interview with Radio Television Brunei (RTB) yesterday.

The State Mufti categorised the catastrophe as disaster that already happened and that remains to be cursed upon.

He said Muslims should handle these disasters with prayers.

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