Borneo Bulletin, Bandar Seri Begawan, 12 September 1998

Cane and prison for firecracker smuggler

By Ignatius Stephen

A Telecom cableman has gone for a long haul in jail and a flogging for smuggling firecrackers into Brunei.

Soferi bin Hj Sulaiman, 23, has been jailed for five years and will receive three strokes of the cane for his part in the crime.

Charged under the Arms and Explosive Act, Soferi, father of three, Magistrate Hairolarni heard, brought into Brunei 96 boxes of firecrackers from Limbang on February 19 three years ago.

Police prosecuting officer Senior Inspector Yakub bin Ismail told the court, that a team of Marine Police lead by CPL. Yakub bin Hj Hitam searched an outboard and found the defendant with another friend, still at large, in possession of the firecrackers and they were detained at Sungai Riong.

Police escorted the outboard to the Muara Police Marine Base.

The two said they bought the firecrackers at Limbang Market.

Copyright © 1998 Brunei Press Sdn Bhd. All rights reserved.

Borneo Bulletin, BSB, 16 September 1998

Painful lessons of crime

The students with some of the prison officers.

A prison officer demonstrates the caning on a dummy.

A visit to the Jerudong Prison last Tuesday reaffirmed the students' belief that a life hitting the books is much better than a life of crime which could lead to a sore behind.

The 52 students attended a briefing given by the Deputy Officer In Charge, Awg Hj Zainal bin Hj Ismail, on the functions and objectives of the Prisons Department.

Awg Hj Zainal revealed the many offences in the country that could lead to imprisonment, from minor offences such as mischief and vandalism to major crimes like robbery, drug abuse and murder.

He pointed out to the students that it is everyone's responsibility to have strong self-discipline.

He urged the younger generation to stay in school and to keep out of trouble so that they can participate in the development of the country, rather than be a burden to the nation.

A demonstration on caning for crimes like bootlegging and vandalism was given by the Prison Department officials almost a month before at the school.

The students wrote compositions on the caning for display at the school and have followed up with a trip to the prison.

The students, accompanied by their English teacher, Mrs Bridget Donovan, were able to enter the prison. A Jerudong Prison officer outlined the prisoners' activities.

Each prisoner has a set programme that has to be accomplished every day. Among the chores are cooking, cleaning and gardening. Physical exercise like badminton is also an important regime of the day and religious studies are included.

With trepidation, each student viewed the prison cells where the offenders slept, prayed and bathed.

The rooms were stifling and the beds appeared very uncomfortable. Most of the students even entered a detention cell for offenders who get too violent.

The students also toured the Mini Museum at the prison. On display were souvenirs and trophies from competitions held by the Prison Department and other items such as handcuffs and rattans used in caning.

Another demonstration on caning was held. Awg Hj Zainal talked through the whole process while the sounds of the lashes rang in the ears of the students.

Many cringed when pictures of lacerated and bleeding behinds were shown and hopefully this is good enough a reason for the younger generation to stay away from crime.

Copyright © 1998 Brunei Press Sdn Bhd. All rights reserved.