Brunei Businessmen's Pontianak Visit A Success
By Rosli Abidin Yahya and Hj Mohd Said

Bandar Seri Begawan - A trade delegation from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippine (East Asia Growth Area) and the Brunei Darussalam Business Council (BBDBC) returned home on Friday stating their visit to their counterpart in Pontianak, Kalimantan was a truly successful one.

According to the First Deputy Chairman of BBDBC, Hj Ibrahim Hj Awg Damit and also Hj Mohamad Pehin Ismail, an official, a major success was agreement on both sides to encourage both governments to pursue the transportation project linking Brunei and Kalimantan.

They said the project was part of an agreement between Brunei and Indonesia to open up transportation link between Brunei and Kalimantan to facilitate easier movement of people and cargo to enhance business activities. "One objective was also to activate the intra-EAGA business activities which had slowed down tremendously after the Asian financial crisis of 1997. And we are happy to say that we have opened up windows of opportunities for bilateral trade between the two BIMP-EAGA areas," they said. The visitors arrived in Pontianak on April 14 where they stayed at Hotel Kapuas Palace. They attended a dinner hosted by the governor of Pontianak Osman Jaafar on the evening of April 14. The next day they met Governor Osman at his office at Balai Patitih and attended a business meeting with entrepreneurs of Pontianak at the banquet hall of the office.

At noon they attended a lunch by the Indonesian business association leader at the same venue. On the afternoon of April 15, the trade delegation visited a fishing ship as well as the fish landing depot at Sel. Rengas.

The governor of Kalbar hosted them a dinner in the evening at his residence. On April 16, the delegation visited an old palace, Keraton Kadariyah, at Kampong Dalam where they agreed to help the palace officials in the renovation of the historical heritage that may have a link with Brunei. They also observed the equator monument, visited shrimp cold storage in Siantan, attended a lunch hosted by the director of Marine and Fisheries, and visited agricultural farms including orchid cultivation. (Courtesy Of Borneo Bulletin)

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