Undated photo made available 08 September 2004 shows Brunei's Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Bolkiah (L) with Sarah Salleh (R) sitting along the seashore in Bandar Seri Begawan. Seventeen-year-old Sarah, a commoner, will marry Brunei's Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah, 30, on 09 September in ceremonies showcasing centuries of Bruneian tradition. (Xinhua/AFP PHOTO)

An undated handout photo of Brunei's Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah with his bride-to-be Dayangku Sarah Pengiran Salleh Ab Rahaman in Bandar Seri Begawan. The royal couple will marry on Thursday. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Bride-to-be Sarah Salleh sits on a dias during a traditional Malay powdering ceremony at the Nurul Iman royal palace in Bandar Seri Begawan 05 September 2004. Brunei's Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah, 30, and seventeen-year-old commoner Sarah Salleh are set to wed on 09 September in a marriage with ceremonies showcasing centuries of Bruneian tradition. (Xinhua/AFP PHOTO)

Bride-to-be to Brunei's Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah, Dayangku Sarah Pengiran Salleh Ab Rahaman, is escorted to the Malay traditional marriage powdering ceremony at the Nurul Iman Palace in Bandar Seri Begawan, September 5, 2004. The royal couple will marry on Thursday. Picture taken on September 5.  (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

A woman walks by a notice board advertising the royal wedding in Bandar Seri Begawan, on September 8, 2004. (Xinhua/AP Photo)

Brunei's Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah sits on a dais during a Malay traditional marriage powdering ceremony at the Istana Nurul Iman in Bandar Seri Begawan, on September 5, 2004. The crown prince will marry Dayangku Sarah Pengiran Salleh Ab Rahaman on Thursday. Picture taken on September 5, 2004.  (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

(Xinhua/AFP Photo)

Brunei rolls red carpet for royalty, world leaders attending crown prince's wedding

    BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei, Sept. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Dozens of princes and heads of state or government and other distinguished guests arrived here Wednesday to attend a grand wedding ceremony the following day of Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah of Brunei Darussalam.

    Ceremonies for the royal union between the 30-year-old heir to the throne and his bride Dayangku Sarah binti Pengiran Salleh Ab Rahaman, which started on August 26, will reach the climax Thursday with the holding of the "Bersanding" ceremony.

    The ceremony is to be held at the Istana Nurul Iman, or the royal palace, which is a sight to marvel as the capital continues to be bathed in the limelight of colorful lighting and decorationsin anticipation of the Royal Wedding.

    Among the first to arrive on Wednesday were the Duke of Gloucester, representing Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles of the United Kingdom, Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito.

    The Malay wedding ceremony, which has also gathered here more than 100 journalists and photographers from both home and abroad, will be followed by a procession around the city center during which the royal couple will board a Royal carriage and receive the greetings and best-wishes from Brunei citizens and visitors.

    The second and last rehearsal for the Royal Wedding procession was held Tuesday night with streets around the royal palace and along the motorcade's path sealed off, causing a traffic jam, rarely seen in the capital city.

    Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Senior Ministers Goh Chok Tong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohammed also flew in Wednesday.

    Also expected at Thursday morning's ceremony were Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi along with the leaders and representatives of other ASEAN countries. Brunei is a member country of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

    The royal families from Middle East countries will also be present at the ceremony, including Prince Saud and Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia, King of Bahrain Sheikh Hamad bin isa al-Khalifa, among others.

Profile: Crown Prince of Brunei Darussalam Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah

   BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei, Sept. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Brunei Darussalam's Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah is due to marry here on Thursday at a grand ceremony to be attended by worldwide dignitaries with or without titles.

   Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah was born in Bandar Seri Begawan,capital of Brunei on February 17, 1974. He is the third child of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and his first wife.

   On August 10, 1998, Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah was formally inaugurated as the Crown Prince of Brunei Darussalam. The proclamation put him in line to become the 30th Sultan of Brunei, the future ruler of this tiny oil-rich sultanate on the northern tip of Borneo.

   The Prince's education began early in life. Throughout his academic life, the Prince was not only industrious in his academic studies and extra-curricular activities but was also equally diligent and devoted much time and attention to his religious education, Islamic and welfare matters. After finishing the reading of the Holy Quran in 1988, he performed Haji with immediate family, parents, brothers and sisters.

   On completion of his secondary education in Brunei, the Prince went abroad to receive higher education. In October 1995, the Prince began his two-year studies at Oxford, the United Kingdom.

   During his first year at Oxford, the Prince undertook at the Oxford Center for Islamic Studies a tailor-made program of study of three principal subjects; Islamic studies; the history and culture of Brunei Darussalam; and an introduction to the theory and practice of political science, economics and international relations.   

   In campus, he was simply known as "Mr. Omar Hassan," who was active in sports events -- soccer, snooker and badminton.

   At the conclusion of his first year at Oxford Center for Islamic Studies, the Prince was admitted to Oxford University's Foreign Service Program. In June 1997, he graduated from Oxford University and later came home.

   In preparing to become the future leader and head of the country, the Prince has received intensive training in leadership throughout his two years at Oxford, in addition to his academic activities, a series of official visits to international organizations, and attachments to various government agencies at home.

   On March 25, 2004, the Crown Prince was conferred the rank general of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.

   Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah visited China in March 2002.  Enditem

Backgrounder: Brunei Darussalam

   BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei, Sept. 8 (Xinhuanet) --Brunei Darussalam rolled out the red carpet for hundreds of distinguished guests who arrived here Wednesday for the wedding ceremony the following day of Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, heir to the throne of the tiny oil-rich country in Southeast Asia.

   Brunei, with an area of 5,765 sq. km, lies on the northwest coast of the island of Borneo. It is surrounded and bisected on the landward side by Sarawak, one of the two eastern states of Malaysia.

   The country has a population of 332,844 at census of 2001. The Malay population, an estimated 66.7 percent of the total, are mainly Sunni Muslims. Most of the Chinese in Brunei (11.1 percent of the population) are Buddhists. Europeans and Eurasians are predominantly Christians, and the majority of indigenous tribespeople (Iban, Dayak and Kelabit --3.5 percent of the population) adhere to various animist beliefs.

   The official religion of Brunei is Islam, and the Sultan is head of the Islamic community.

   Its principal language is Malay, although Chinese is also spoken and English is widely used.

   Brunei, a traditional Islamic monarchy, formerly included most of the coastal regions of North Borneo(now Sabah) and Sarawak, which later became states of Malaysia. During the 19th century the rulers of Brunei ceded large parts of their territory to the United Kingdom, reducing the sultanate to its present size.

   In 1888, when North Borneo became a British Protectorate, Brunei became a British Protected State. In accordance with an agreement made in 1906, a British Resident was appointed to the
court of the ruling Sultan as an adviser on administration. Under this arrangement, a form of government that included an advisory body, the State Council, emerged.

   Brunei was invaded by Japanese forces in December 1941, but reverted to its former status in 1945, when the Second World War ended. The British-appointed Governor of Sarawak was High
Commissioner for Brunei from 1948 until the territory's first written Constitution was promulgated in September 1959, when a further agreement was made between the Sultan and the British Government. 

   The United Kingdom continued to be responsible for Brunei's defense and external affairs until the Sultanate's declaration of independence in 1984.

   The 1959 Constitution (amended significantly in 1971 and 1984) confers supreme executive authority on the Sultan. He is assisted and advised by four Constitutional Councils: the Religious Council, the Privy Council, the Council of Cabinet Ministers and the Council of Succession.

   Brunei's economy depends almost entirely on its petroleum and natural gas resources.

   Brunei is the third largest petroleum producer in Southeast Asia and the fourth largest liquified natural gas producer in the world. Its proven reserves of petroleum stand at about 1.4 billion barrels and natural gas at 395 billion cm. The petroleum sector contributes 36 percent to the country's gross national product (GNP) and 95 percent to its total export income.

   Brunei became the 159th member country of the United Nations in 1984. It is also a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Commonwealth, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

   Brunei Darussalam and the People's Republic of China established diplomatic relations in 1991.  

   The Royal Wedding Banquet, scheduled for Friday, will be attended by the Royal family and those distinguished guests and it will be followed by a fireworks display.

   The wedding festivities will last until Sunday. Enditem