PM Wong to visit Brunei to mark 50 years of defence ties

PM Wong to visit Brunei to mark 50 years of defence ties The two countries’ leaders will attend a joint military parade and launch a gallery charting key milestones in their bilateral defence relationship. SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will make an official visit to Brunei from Friday (Oct 9) to Saturday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Singapore-Brunei defence relations, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement on Thursday. Mr Wong and Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah will attend a joint parade at Muara Naval Base on Saturday, which will feature personnel and operational assets from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and Royal Brunei Armed Forces. After the parade, the two leaders will jointly launch a commemorative gallery showcasing key milestones in the bilateral defence relationship over the past 50 years. Mr Wong will also attend a lunch hosted by the Sultan. The prime minister will visit SAF personnel training in Temburong and speak with them about their training experiences in Brunei. He will also witness the delivery of four light fire attack vehicles, developed by Singapore company HOPE Technik and customised for Brunei’s operational requirements, to the Brunei Fire and Rescue Department. Mr Wong will be accompanied by his wife, as well as Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim and Member of Parliament Rachel Ong. Officials from PMO, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also accompany them. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry (Trade) Gan Kim Yong will be the acting prime minister in Mr Wong’s absence. Mr Wong's visit comes about a month after Brunei Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah visited Singapore for the 12th Singapore-Brunei Young Leaders’ Programme. During the five-day official visit, the crown prince met Mr Wong, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and toured Tuas Port, SAFTI City and the Singapore Oceanarium.