Brunei: PCMF - Urgent Notice

"We regret to inform you that due to ongoing water supply issues, there is currently no water in PCMF.

As a result we are unable to conduct face to face appointments at this time due to hygiene concerns.

However we are committed to ensuring continuity of care by offering telephone consultations.

We kindly ask individuals that have appointments today to consider rescheduling their appointments accordingly.

Please note that emergency appointments will continue to be accommodated as needed". 

Brunei: Operating Hours of Education Centre - Easter Leave

OPERATING HOURS OF EDUCATION CENTRE - EASTER LEAVE 

1. During Easter Leave, the operating hours of Education Centre for the period from 25 March to 07 April 2024 are as shown below:

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FamCAS 2024 is now open, and we want to hear from you!

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Completing the survey provides senior policy makers with invaluable information that facilitates policy change, in areas that matter most to the families and partners of Serving Personnel, so your opinion matters.

To check whether you have been invited to take part, please click here to access the Survey checker and follow the onscreen instructions. This works best in Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge! If you haven’t been invited to take part this time, you will have the opportunity to leave a comment instead.

Alternatively, you can go straight to the survey, by clicking on the below link or scanning the QR code below and enter your Serving Partner’s Service number to get started! The survey is online only this year!

Click here for the FamCAS Survey 24 or alternatively scan the QR Code below 
 

The closing date for FamCAS is 22nd April 2024. Thank you!

Brunei: BFB Quarterly Newsletter - Edition 5

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British Forces Brunei Quarterly Newsletter - Edition 5

To read the full Newsletter Please Click HERE.

Open University Disabled Veterans' Scholarships Fund

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Open University Disabled Veterans' Scholarships Fund applications are now open!

​Last year, The Open University supported around 28,000 disabled students. And, since the Disabled Veterans’ Scholarships Fund was established, more than 300 additional disabled students have been able to access higher education with us.

What is a Disabled Veterans' Scholarship?

If you’ve been injured or disabled in, or as a resu​​lt of, military service, you could be funded to complete a full Open University qualification.

We offer 50 scholarships annually. All undergraduate and postgraduate modules and qualifications are eligible. You’ll have your fees waived for up to 120 credits per seasonal academic year, up to a maximum of 360 credits, which is equivalent to a full honours degree.

Information and eligibility criteria can be found here:

Disabled Veterans' Scholarships | How to Pay | Open University

Social Media Specialists - free BFBS social media training programme for military spouses plus Veterans and their spouses

The BFBS Academy has announced the launch of Social Media Specialists, a free course open to the broader military community offering the opportunity to upskill in social media marketing techniques.

Click here for further details.

Defence Discount Service: Veterans Privilege Card Video

Defence Discount Service have introduced a new video to support veterans with signing up for a Defence Discount Service Privilege card. 

To watch the video, please go to this YouTube link.

National Adult Social Care Recruitment Campaign - Made with Care

23red is the partnerships agency working with DHSC on their national adult social care recruitment campaign Made with Care.

The campaign aims to highlight the amazing opportunities which the care sector can provide for a fulfilling career, showcasing the amazing difference you can make every day and demonstrating that it is easy for people without any previous experience to get started.

As part of their work DHSC have recognised that a career in care could work incredibly well for those leaving the armed services and the partners of those currently serving in the armed forces.

As such we have been working with Forces Employment Charity and the Career Transition Partnership to create a suite of resources which can help to showcase the benefits of a career in care and direct people to the national campaign site where they can find out more about the roles on offer and search for relevant jobs in their area.​

The resources, including posters, leaflets and social media assets, are free to download and will hopefully provide useful support for those currently looking for flexible careers or considering their next step.

Lower minimum income requirement agreed for the Armed Forces

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• On 4 December 2023, the Government announced that the MIR would be increased to align with the new minimum general salary threshold for skilled workers, which is currently £38,700, with an initial increase to £29,000 in Spring 2024. This will no longer include an additional income requirement where a child is included in the application.

• The Ministry of Defence has worked with the Home Office on options to mitigate the potential impact on recruitment and retention the increase may have, and it has been agreed that the MIR will be aligned with the salary threshold for Other Ranks on completion of training, which is currently £23,496. Officers earn £31,304 until completion of Initial Officer Training when their pay increases to £37,425. The MIR for HM Armed Forces will be reviewed in line with the annual pay award.

• The Government introduced the MIR in July 2012 for partners and children of British and settled persons, and in December 2013 for a partner and child(ren) of HM Armed Forces, including the Brigade of Gurkhas, under Appendix HM Armed Forces to the Immigration Rules.

• The full Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules can be found at: HC 590 – Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules (publishing.service.gov.uk)​

• A Q&A document has been prepared and can be accessed at this LINK

Brunei: Kasam Khane (Attestation) Parade - Thursday, 21st March 2024, 0830 hrs @ MT Square

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Brunei: Disrespecting the Month of Ramadhan

DISRESPECTING THE MONTH OF RAMADHAN

1. Syariah Penal Code Order 2013 articles under the Constitution of Brunei
Darussalam defines fines, imprisonment or both if one gets convicted of disrespecting the month of Ramadhan. The duration of Ramadhan in 2024 is from 12 March to 09 April 2023, however, dates maybe subject to change depending on the sighting of the moon.

2. Syariah Penal Code Order 2013 - Disrespecting the month of Ramadhan (Para 195, page 89):

a. Any person who consumes in public any food, drink or tobacco during
the fasting hours in the month of Ramadhan is guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $4,000, imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or both.

b. Any person who sells or serves any food, drink or tobacco for immediate
consumption at that spot, in a public place, during the fasting hours in the
month of Ramadhan is guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $4,000, imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year or both.

c. Subsection (2) shall not apply to any medical practitioner or any other
person who serves any food, drink or medicine to any patient during the fasting hours in the month of Ramadhan without which such patient will be affected.

d. If any person fails to comply with the provisions of subsection (2) in his
status as an employee for another person, his employer shall be deemed to have abetted such offence and to have caused the commission of such offence by reason of abetment unless he can prove that such offence was committed without his consent, power, knowledge or approval and that he took all reasonable steps to avoid such act from being committed.

Defence Victim Witness Care Unit: We stand with victims

Please click HERE to access to further information.

Visit your Pharmacy first!

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Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2024 takes place 18 - 24 March

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Neurodiversity Celebration Week 2024 takes place 18-24 March, and a calendar of online webinars and Q&A sessions has been scheduled as a part of this. There are events relevant to individuals, parents and carers, employees and employers included. Registration is via this link.

​Recordings of the webinars will be emailed out to those who register, if they are unable to join their selected event(s) at the scheduled time.

For those working within MOD, also have a look at the Neuro Inclusivity Network.

Brunei: Brunei Tourism

To access a number of local tourism ideas as well as what is going on locally in Brunei

CLICK HERE to access Brunei Tourism Web page.

Brunei: Brunei - Discover the Green Jewel of Brunei

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Click here for the full guide

Brunei: Brunei - A guide to birdwatching in Brunei

Click here to access the 84 page guide to Birds on Borneo!

Brunei: Brunei - Discover Tutong

Find out what Tutong has to offer with this handy local guide

Brunei: Brunei - Belait Travel Guide

Use the above guide to navigate things to do in the local area of Belait, from sunset cruises, chasing waterfalls and a Top Ten list of places of interest in Belait.

Brunei: Brunei - Exploring Labi Guide

 

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Click here to check out the full guide.

Brunei: Brunei - Kommunihub

All about the food

Culture & Adventure

Learning Activities

Our "Community Hub" is all about working together, so we look to invest in our community and share knowledge and skills, between each other and with our guests.

Sustainability is the key - whether it be in tourism, the environment or our culture, we are always working to develop our marketing, product development and responsibility to our natural surroundings.

This includes promoting local Talent, plus offering various Training & Development courses and talks on things dear to our heart.

If you want authentic cultural experiences such as foraging in the jungle for your lunch, making your own machete, fishing for freshwater prawns with indigenous people, or learning to weave traditional arts and crafts, then we hope you'll enjoy what we have to offer.

Click here for more info.

Brunei: Brunei - Funblocks Playground

Opening hours :

Monday - Thursday : 10am - 9pm
Friday : 2pm - 9pm
Saturday & Sunday : 10am - 9pm

For more information or enquiries, please call or WhatsApp at +6737246555 and you can find Funblocks adventure playground on Facebook

Brunei: Brunei - Indoor Activities in Local Area

To access suggestions of indoor activities in Brunei CLICK HERE

Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust: Service Pupil support with new round of funding

Great news for schools supporting Service children in the UK! The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (the Trust) has announced a new round of the Service Pupil Support Programme.

Part of the MOD’s Armed Forces Families Fund (AF3), the Service Pupil Support Programme will award grants of £5,000 to £80,000 to projects supporting Service children along their educational pathway.

What’s the programme all about?

This year, the Service Pupil Support Programme will focus on supporting schools working in collaborative clusters of three or more to design projects that meet one of three themes.

• Closing the gap in attainment between Service and non-Service pupils.
• Addressing the needs of Service pupils with additional needs.
• Identifying and addressing the needs of small cohorts of Service pupils within educational settings.

In exceptional circumstances, schools can apply with a single bid, for instance if the number of your Service pupils is due to dramatically change.

Armed Forces Strongman/Strongwoman Events: Dishforth Dumbell Defence Records Day, 24 Apr

For more information, please scan the QR Code above or click HERE.

Brunei: Malaysia - Sabah Travel e-brochures

 

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Click here to access all these travel publications and more to explore Sabah! 

Brunei: Malaysia - Kota Kinabalu island hopping inspiration...

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Click here to access the full leaflet.

Brunei: Malaysia - Sarawak Tourism & Travel Guides

Revealing a side of Asia unlike anywhere else, Sarawak offers an alternative for those seeking humble authenticity far from the tourist-trap clichés. Visiting Sarawak can be done as a complementary trip to Peninsular Malaysia and neighbouring countries, or a journey discovery all on its own. To discover Sarawak means taking the road less travelled.

Whether it is sharing in lifestyle of one of the many indigenous communities’ longhouses, exploring gigantic caves in the UNESCO World Heritage of Gunung Mulu National Park, you will find Sarawak offers a host of memorable experiences to bring home to.

Connect with your inner-self; kayak along our boutique rivers, run your personal best marathon or hike the many jungle trails of Sarawak’s diverse national parks.

From participating in a volunteer programme to learning how to cook Sarawakian dishes, from making new friends at major festivals and events to seeing orangutans up close, Sarawak is a prime destination for the intrepid traveller in you.

As part of Malaysia on the island of Borneo, Sarawak is a peaceful and stable place for travel, suited for large groups or single travellers alike.

Discover Sarawak - eBrochures

Please scan the QR Codes to access the e-guides.

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