Regarding an article in the Borneo Bulletin, "Concerned over drop in Maths among students".

I've been in Brunei for seven years and now I feel as though Brunei is like a mother country to me. Like other parents, I am concerned and interested in matters relating to education. When I read the article "Concerned over drop in Maths among students" in one of the articles in Borneo Bulletin, I tried to think of ways to approach Maths with a self-desirable attitude. We all know that schoolteachers are important in teaching young minds. However, there is also another reason I thought of. And this is the role of parents at home.

All parents might probably want their children to be self-motivated and concentrate on their studies especially Maths.

We should not forget that the best teachers are the parents at home. I would like to present my method of helping children to be self-motivated.

My method is to read books to children everyday. Either the father or the mother can read books to children and this can create precious time between the parents and the children. It is best to start following this method when the child is 6 months to 1 year old.

Surely, a child can feel love by reading books with their parents. Then this will eventually help the children to read books and study by themselves. Doing this everyday will help the children develop a very good habit. Even though I am a working mother, I still make time to read books to my children everyday. I feel as though the minds of my children are growing by reading books.

I hope that reading books to children will help boost their education in Brunei and also hope that Bruneians will have a brighter future by reading to their children. I earnestly hope that many students will achieve good results in Maths.

- bolehlahmaths

A big thank you to RIPAS Hospital medical professional staff, especially in Ward 4.

Remember the 93 years old Popoh last month who was very ill?

She is now recovering slowly day after day. She still misses Brunei as she had felt quite at home when she was in Brunei. We appreciate your excellent service. Therefore, we can safely say Brunei is not without skilled young energetic professionals.

- Popoh's Family

We are referring to the letter published on February 19, 2005 in the Opinion page of the Borneo Bulletin's weekend edition by "Loyal Reader". Both the Department of Information and the Government Printing Department of the Prime Minister's Office wish to thank "Loyal Reader" for his/her attention to detail and reading the government's official newspaper "Pelita Brunei".

We also wish to express appreciation for his/her constructive feedback on the picture quality published in Pelita Brunei.

We wish to inform "Loyal Reader" and members of the publicublish that Pelita Brunei had been printed continuously on the same web-press since 1980. However, technical glitches do happen every now and then and such instances affect Pelita Brunei's picture quality in both its colour and black-and-white versions.

The Department of Information and the Government Printing Department are aware of the problem and will continue to improve the print quality of the Pelita Brunei.

Thank you for reading Pelita Brunei.
- Public Relations Unit,
- Department Of Information
- And Public Relations Unit,
- Government Printing Department
- Prime Minister's Office
- Brunei Darussalam

On February 4, 2005 my flat was broken into. My laptop computer, charger, school bag and a negligible amount of money were stolen.

I immediately reported the break-in to the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) in Bandar who promptly sent CID men to my flat to investigate the matter and to get a statement.

Five days later, on February 9, 2005 I received a call from the CID office in Bandar requesting me to go to their office. To my surprise and delight, they showed me a laptop computer and school bag, which I identified as mine.

They also told me that they have apprehended three men who confessed to the break-in. In this regard, I would like to thank and praise the chief, detectives and personnel of the CID in Bandar for their swift and efficient action and in solving the reported case.

Brunei should be proud of them as I am. To the CID in Bandar - congratulations for a job well done!

- Grateful Teacher

Now we are celebrating the 21st National Day. It was also in the same year, 21 years ago that I applied for the Landless Citizens scheme back in 1984.

Until now I have never owned a piece of the promise land or a home.

The last time I saw the concerned officer was in 2005 only being told that since my name was found to show that I do own a piece of land - (which I bought in 2000 and is still being processed 'here and there') after 16 years waiting for a promise land, I was not entitled to the scheme.

They are now more concerned about the land I bought in the year 2000 than the application I lodged in 1984.

- Neglected Local

In response to the comment "Harassed by Junk Mail" posted by Internet Junkies on BB weekend edition (19th February 2005) regarding Internet Junk Email.

JTB would like to highlight that both BruNet and the users have equal responsibilities to alleviate spam emails. From the part of BruNet, JTB has introduced an Anti Spam Solution at the gateway to prevent Spam from being sent and received and to distinguish spam from legitimate emails. This has effectively filtered 50% to 60% of spam.

However, due to the changing nature of spam, some have managed to pass through the filtering process and end up in the users' mailboxes.

From the part of the users, anti spam filtering software for personal protection of computers can be downloaded for free or bought online as have been advised at www.aiti.gov.bn. As best practice, users can have at least two email addresses. One should be for certain websites where you wish to receive emails and the other, a private email address that you use for personal communications. If users receive emails from unknown or unfamiliar sources, ignore them and delete them immediately. Replying them only acknowledges that your email to more than five email addresses at one time because when you forward, you reveal the email addresses of the others. This can be undesirable when the forwarded emails end up in the hands of spammers.

There is no 100% guarantee of protection from Spam because it is always evolving. Apart from the frustration of users when sifting through and deleting all the unwanted email, BruNet also incurs additional costs as all these junk mails clog up the system, slowing it down for everyone. Therefore to fight spam effectively, we need cooperation from all including the users.

- Corporate Communications
- Jabatan Telekom Brunei
- e-mail : jtbpr@brunet.bn

Last week I made several telephone calls to a government department to get some information on SMEs as a preparation to my retirement.

I asked an operator to pass my call to the officer in charge of Light Industry Complex as I wished to know more about leasing and what sort of business can be carried out at the complex.

To my surprise all my calls were transferred to different sections of the Department, even to the canteen.

The next day I dropped by to the said department and approached on of the receptionists cum Telephone Operator. Politely (being a Malay Muslim and a Civil Servant too) I informed this person of my intention to see the officer in charge of Light Industry Complex.

I was told to wait by a hand signal (putting a hand up), as seemed too busy on phone.

It was only after this person finished the call (of course about 15 minutes later) that I was told the officer I needed to see was not in.

My visit ended with frustration.

From this experience some questions arose; why does the department employ unskilled staff?

Did this person ever attend hospitality training?

May I seriously suggest (as it costs nothing) to place the right Front Line staff at least to stop a bad reflection of the department itself in the future?

- Awang@semaun.bn
- BSB

It's February 23, everybody was happily celebrating National Day. Around 7.45 pm at the highway road leading to Muara, I was driving my car aiming to go to my friend's house.

While I was on the right side of the road, two motorcyclists suddenly came behind my car with their highlight beams blinding my view mirror and forcing me to go to the left side of the road.

These two very selfish motorcyclists were having an illegal race and were bullying every car that came their way.

They were very selfish, inconsiderate and broke every law in the rule book.

I just want to give a message to these motorcyclists that though I am a big fan of motorcycles I was not of idiotic wannabe racers. 'Don't do anything stupid that you'd regret because time is irreversible'.

- Angry Motorists

It's great to see the roads of Beribi Industrial area being tarred and cleaned up. Actually it looks like a whole new world out there.

However it's indeed puzzling that the street lights have been down for over two weeks now and nothing has been done to light up the road.

Also while the roads are being stylishly redone, it's a puzzle and extremely disheartening indeed to see the Simpang 46-39 leading to Kampong Telaga Bundan left untouched.

A newly completed industrial building adjoining has even a special side gate to use our simpang, which is not part of the industrial road. And their rickety old cars with foreign number plates are parked along our residential area at all odd times.

We, living in a simpang full of houses feel very unsettled at this development. There could be break-ins and serious crime - who knows who these people are - parking their cars at all odd hours down our road?

The nuisance trucker down the road also still thunders down our simpang like nobody's business.

So all these encroachments to our privacy shows that we indeed must be a part of the industrial area.

But then if we are, why not fix our road too?

As far as this little Simpang is concerned, we are always left with a half 'cemented' road, probably only seen in Brunei and loads of broken stones making sharp incisions in our tyres.

Sadly nobody cares about our kampong.

All these appeals and complaints which have been written many times before have always falled on deaf ears.

- Disgusted Residents, Kg Telaga Bundan