BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Brunei’s ruler, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, was taken to the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday after feeling fatigue during a summit of regional leaders in the Malaysian capital.
In a statement issued this evening, the Prime Minister’s Office said His Majesty is in “good health” and will rest in hospital for several days upon doctors’ advice.
“His Majesty has been feeling tired and therefore, at the advice of the host country’s medical experts, [has decided] to rest at the National Heart Institute,” the PMO said.
The 78-year-old monarch has been in Kuala Lumpur since Sunday to attend the 46th ASEAN Summit and related meetings.
The hospitalisation of the sultan, who has ruled Brunei since 1967, was earlier confirmed by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, current chair of ASEAN and host of this week’s leaders’ summit.
“He’s a little bit tired and resting,” Anwar told a press conference, without elaborating.
Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah is the world’s longest reigning monarch and led Brunei to full independence from Britain in 1984.