BRUNEI: COUNTRY PROFILE

(13 Nov 2000) Eng/Taga/Nat XFA The tiny Islamic Sultanate of Brunei is the site of the 2000 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) this week. A unique tranquil and rich Muslim enclave on the island of Borneo, Brunei promises few surprises and plenty of warm hospitality as hosts. The 21 world leaders and their senior ministers will see a land dominated by the wealth of the rich Sultan and populated with happy, secure locals and equally happy, highly paid overseas workers from around Asia. The palace of the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah holds fascination for curious speculators across Asia and the world. Reputed to be the world's richest man at various times, the Sultan of Brunei runs his country with style and generosity. In his mid-50's, his lifestyle is often described as opulent. Michael Jackson was hired to perform at his 50th birthday party. He rides in a fleet of fancy cars, jets around the globe and is reported to have a bevy of mistresses from among the world's most beautiful women. While some scandal has arisen from allegations that his brother kept women against their will at the palace, the Sultan has come away unscathed, having a lawsuit on the subject summarily dismissed in Los Angeles years ago. What world leaders will find is a modern Islamic leader beloved in his own land. With today's soaring oil prices those banks are probably full of mostly Brunei's own deposits. Nevertheless, the wealth has been spread with nice high-rise buildings housing the local population for very little of their own money. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Everything is provided in Brunei here. Even the mosque, I think, the school. One more thing is for the government housing. The government housing, I think, is for the Brunei people here, if they don't have any land, then they'll get a house built with the land, and the people just pay for the housing, housing schematic." SUPER CAPTION: Voxpop People here are excited to show off their nation to visitors from around the region. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Brunei's people are very well-known for (being) well-behaved, polite and respectful. Since we are mainly Muslim we hold very much to Muslims' rules and beliefs." SUPER CAPTION: Voxpop Those Islamic rules are relaxed for visitors, however. Penalties can be harsh for Muslims who break Shariah law. The large population of foreign, often non-Muslim workers find a tolerant attitude toward their own ways. While they can't drink alcohol and have little apparent entertainment most overseas workers say they like their host country. SOUNDBITE: (Tagalog) "As of now, not only do I meet with Bruneians, but most of the time I can hang around with Thais, Bangladeshis, Indonesians, Chinese as well as the local people. The Bruneians, they treat us very nicely. They're friendly. For us there are no problems." SUPER CAPTION: Voxpop Philippine textile worker Of course, while Islamic, Brunei is still essentially Asian. So Asian visitors will find it only a little different than their own home countries. But they will find a place where poverty is almost impossible to find, a rare characteristic for an Asian nation, and one that made it attractive as host to a conference aimed at Asia-Pacific economic prosperity. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...