Stories by Ain Bandial on The Scoop

Ain Bandial

Ain is co-founder and editor of The Scoop. She previously worked as a journalist for The Brunei Times covering diplomacy and security in Southeast Asia, as well as national issues related to the economy, trade and gender inequality. Ain’s work has also appeared in Reuters, AFP, The Jakarta Post, The Straits Times, among others.

Three women detained for drug-related activity at quarantine centre The trio are suspected of abusing Syabu and selling it to other COVID-19 patients

September 22, 2021

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Three women were brought to court on Tuesday for suspected drug activity at the government isolation facility at the…

IGCSE, ‘O’ and ‘A’ Level exams scrapped The education ministry said school-assessed grades will be used in lieu of written exams

September 21, 2021

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – In a long awaited statement, the Ministry of Education (MoE) announced on Monday that written papers for IGCSE, O…

Students still in the dark around O, A Level exams With the country still under a partial lockdown, it remains unclear whether in-person exams will go ahead

September 20, 2021

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – The Ministry of Health said it is still in discussions with the education ministry (MoE) over the best solution…

AstraZeneca is now Brunei’s default vaccine Authorities to conduct surveillance testing in high density areas

September 18, 2021

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will now be the default vaccine in the sultanate’s mass inoculation programme for COVID-19, going back…

MoH reports 314 new COVID cases; drive-thru swab centre to open Monday As hospital beds fill up, the gov't eyes two locations in Belait to convert into makeshift isolation facilities

August 22, 2021

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – Brunei saw a dizzying climb in COVID-19 cases on Sunday, recording 314 new infections. Minister of Health YB Dato…

Brunei’s second wave: 111 cases discovered in four days 85% of new cases were unvaccinated, says health minister

August 10, 2021

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – The health ministry confirmed 34 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, including a new cluster of infections at workers’ quarters…

New ASEAN envoy to Myanmar says he wants full access when he visits Dato Erywan said visit is in the pipeline, but gave no firm date

August 7, 2021

BNADAR SERI BEGAWAN (Reuters) – The Brunei diplomat appointed by a Southeast Asian regional bloc as its special envoy to Myanmar said on…

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ASEAN

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ASEAN

Brunei’s foreign minister named ASEAN special envoy to Myanmar Dato Erywan faces an uphill battle to get the Tatmadaw to engage meaningfully in the peace process

August 4, 2021

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – ASEAN foreign ministers have named YB Dato Hj Erywan Yusof, Brunei’s second minister of foreign affairs, as the bloc’s…

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ASEAN

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ASEAN

ASEAN hopes to reach decision on Myanmar envoy next week: Brunei FM Three months after announcing a peace plan, ASEAN has made little progress

July 30, 2021

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – ASEAN foreign ministers will meet virtually on Monday to finalise selection of a special envoy to Myanmar, Brunei’s second…

After COVID-induced hiatus, annual celebrations for Sultan’s birthday make a comeback Although events will still be held on a small scale, the country is slowly building protocols to allow large public events

July 15, 2021

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN — Two weeks of celebrations for the monarch’s 75th birthday kicked off at Taman Haji Sir Muda Omar Ali Saifuddien…