Bon voyage: Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Dewa Major General (Rtd) Dato Seri
Pahlawan Awang Haji Mohammad Haji Daud (R), Minister of Culture, Youth
and Sports, mingles with the Youth Ship participants during the dinner
hosted by Japanese Ambassador to Brunei Istuo Hashimoto at his
residence. Picture: Saifulizam
Thursday, October 18, 2007
TWENTY-EIGHT participants to the Ship for South East Asia Youth Programme
yesterday received a warm send-off as they look forward to what one of the
participants dubbed as a "52-day fantasy" voyage.
The participants attended a delegation departure dinner at the residence of the Ambassador of Japan, Hashimoto Istuo.
The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Dewa Major General (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Hj Mohammad Hj Daud was guest of honour. Also present were Asean ambassadors.
Eager for their flight to Japan on October 22, the participants look forward to spending almost two months together with about 400 people on board Japanese ship Nippon Maru.
The Japanese ambassador expressed hope the participants would bring home valuable and memorable experiences.
In time, he hoped participants would "bring the flowers of friendship and mutual understanding among the countries and people of the region into full bloom".
Christopher Ng, 27, will be taking time off as a prosecutor at the Attorney-General's Chambers to join the voyage. "It's a great chance to meet people from various walks of life, which we normally won't." He believes the programme would allow them to network and make new friends. "It's very likely that we will be meeting future leaders as countries would be sending the cream of the crop to the programme."
For some of the participants, joining the programme had not been smooth sailing.
Mohd Ikhwan Hj Masri, 22, said he had a hard time convincing his employer to let him join the programme, adding it is more difficult for those in the private sector to participate. In the end, he had to quit his job so that he could join the programme.
Mohd Ikhwan considers the experience aboard Nippon Maru a 52-day fantasy, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
This year is the 34th year of the programme, which was started in 1974 to promote friendship and understanding between Japan and Asean countries through various exchanges by the youth on board the ship.
"The scope and participation of the programme has expanded with the growth of Asean," the Japanese envoy said. "Now we are witnessing a huge network of alumni members and solid friendship between Asean countries and Japan."
Another group of Bruneians, consisting of 27 secondary school students and three teachers, will visit Japan in December as the programme's first delegation for Brunei.
The Brunei Times
The participants attended a delegation departure dinner at the residence of the Ambassador of Japan, Hashimoto Istuo.
The Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Dewa Major General (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Hj Mohammad Hj Daud was guest of honour. Also present were Asean ambassadors.
Eager for their flight to Japan on October 22, the participants look forward to spending almost two months together with about 400 people on board Japanese ship Nippon Maru.
The Japanese ambassador expressed hope the participants would bring home valuable and memorable experiences.
In time, he hoped participants would "bring the flowers of friendship and mutual understanding among the countries and people of the region into full bloom".
Christopher Ng, 27, will be taking time off as a prosecutor at the Attorney-General's Chambers to join the voyage. "It's a great chance to meet people from various walks of life, which we normally won't." He believes the programme would allow them to network and make new friends. "It's very likely that we will be meeting future leaders as countries would be sending the cream of the crop to the programme."
For some of the participants, joining the programme had not been smooth sailing.
Mohd Ikhwan Hj Masri, 22, said he had a hard time convincing his employer to let him join the programme, adding it is more difficult for those in the private sector to participate. In the end, he had to quit his job so that he could join the programme.
Mohd Ikhwan considers the experience aboard Nippon Maru a 52-day fantasy, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
This year is the 34th year of the programme, which was started in 1974 to promote friendship and understanding between Japan and Asean countries through various exchanges by the youth on board the ship.
"The scope and participation of the programme has expanded with the growth of Asean," the Japanese envoy said. "Now we are witnessing a huge network of alumni members and solid friendship between Asean countries and Japan."
Another group of Bruneians, consisting of 27 secondary school students and three teachers, will visit Japan in December as the programme's first delegation for Brunei.
The Brunei Times