Airport Shut Down Over Security Threat
By Hadi DP Mahmud

Bandar Seri Begawan - An unattended piece of baggage left behind in the Brunei International Airport prompted the police to shut down the whole building yesterday afternoon, declaring it a "security threat" to the premises.

The temporary closure, which started at 3.50 pm and lasted' for almost three hours, caused flight delays for hundreds of passengers.

According to a statement by Pg. Hj Asli bin Pg Hj Ismail, the Royal Brunei Police's Acting Director of Operations, a passenger reported an unattended bag in the building to the police.

"Upon receiving it, the officers conducted an X-Ray check on the bag, which aroused further suspicions as it contained 'suspicious objects'. Other members of security and police were notified, and action was immediately taken", said Ismail. The civil aviation department, along with the other agencies on duty at the time, conducted the "Bomb Threat Procedure for the Brunei International Airport Terminal Building".

No explosives or harmful substances were found in the bag after a rigorous investigation by the Royal Brunei Police Force and explosive experts from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces were called in to the site.

At about 6.20 pm, business resumed to normal with out bound passengers rushing in to join the long line of queues at the check-in counters. The medium-sized, hand-carry black bag is now with the police.

A worried parent who was expecting his son's arrival from Sydney, reached the airport to find a long line of cars queuing up at the entrance, with police officers at the gate restricting access into the premises.

"This is very worrying, I only knew about the security threat when I reached here", said the father, who wished to retain anonymity.

Outbound passengers, seen in crowded packs at the parking lot, had to wait within the area while the authorities conducted the quarantine process.

The Royal Brunei Airlines staff scrambled to sort out the rescheduling for the delayed flights. According to Steven Leong, Senior Vice President of Airline Operation RBA, there were five delayed departures - three RBA flights and two flights by other airlines.

An Australian businessman who was meant to fly off to Singapore was also forced to delay his appointments with his clients in Lion City. "I was already inside the building, but then the security came up to us and said 'there is a security problem, and all passengers were instructed to wait outside, at the assembly point in the parking lot', he said. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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