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THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2020
Rokiah Mahmud
Street vendors involved in the
Bandarku Ceria programme
are seeking consideration from
the authorities for the recom-
mencement of their commercial
activities.
The weekly programme is
currently limited to individual
leisure pursuits, with business
operations temporarily put on hold
until further notice.
One of the vendors, Haji Ismail,
told the Bulletin, “Many of us
Daniel Lim
Ten police oficers from Quick
Response Squad, Belait Police
Station of the Royal Brunei
Police Force (RBPF) organised a
roadblock operation along Jalan
Tengah, Panaga Seria in the Belait
District on Tuesday night.
A member of the uniformed servic-
es, booked on charges of outraging
the modesty of an underaged girl,
yesterday introduced his lawyer in
the Intermediate Court.
Mohammad Asminan bin
Tambil, 33, is now represented
by defence counsel Mansur Latif,
while facing three counts of making
sexual advances charges. The
defendant allegedly committed
the offences on three occasions.
The irst was in Gadong in
2018; the second at a residential
lat in Jalan Dobi Berakas Kem,
sometime in 2019; and the third
at the same lat, sometime
last May.
Judge Radin Saiee bin Radin
Mas Basiuni adjourned the case
to July 29, while giving time
for the defence to look into
the case.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Nor
Haizah binti Ahmad’s charges carry
three to 10 years’ imprisonment and
a caning.
The HighCourt yesterday dismissed
a drug abuser’s appeal to revise the
Magistrate’s Courts order regarding
the sentence.
Last February, Muhammad
Syaie bin Hasbi Chua @ Chua
Kang Soon was ordered by the
Magistrate’s Court to serve three
years’ imprisonment and to settle a
BND800 ine, or serve another six
weeks in default of payment, after
he pleaded guilty to ive counts of
consuming methylamphetamine;
three counts of possession of uten-
sils; and two counts of possess-
ing 1.265 grammes and 13.4514
grammes of methylamphetamine.
Having been ordered to serve
his sentence, starting in February
when he was charged with the of-
fences, Muhammad Syaie yester-
day pleaded for Chief Justice Dato
Seri Paduka Steven Chong to sub-
stitute the decision for his sentence
to commence from October 2018,
when he was detained under the
Criminal Law (Preventive Deten-
tion) Act.
“The applicant’s detention
under the CLPDA is an entirely
separate matter to the drugs
offences under consideration,
and there is no justiication to
order the sentence to commence
on the date of his detention,” the
Chief Justice said, adding that
Muhammad Syaie’s contention is
misguided.
The court went on to consider
the fact that the defendant was
serving one year upon conviction
in August 2019, for concealing sto-
len property, when he was charged
for the drug offence committed in
2009 and 2015. He had also been
convicted in 2010, for similar drug
abuse charges. The Chief Justice
agreed with Deputy Public Prose-
cutor Pengiran Hajah Nor ‘Azmeena
binti Pengiran Haji Mohiddin, who
appeared for the respondent, that
although the drug charges could
have been brought together with
the concealing stolen property
charges, it would be inappropri-
ate to order concurrent sentenc-
es as they involve separate and
different offences.
Other than dismissing the ap-
peal on finding that Muhammad
Syafie has no arguable case, the
Chief Justice commented that
the Magistrate’s Court could
have ordered the sentence to
commence upon the expiry of
his existing sentence.
An uniform personnel who stole
a bicycle was sentenced to 20
months’ imprisonment by the
Magistrate’s Court, yesterday.
Adi Sukri bin Haji Sulai-
man, 45, pleaded guilty to the
theft charge pressed by Depu-
ty Public Prosecutor Syazwani
binti Jumat.
Acting Senior Magistrate Pen-
giran Hazirah binti Pengiran Haji
Mohd Yusof heard from the pros-
ecution about how the defendant
had commited the offence.
At around noon, on June 28,
the defendant was walking along
the parking lot between Sungai
Kianggeh and The Brunei Ho-
tel, when he noticed a Java bike
mounted on a parked car.
He took out a pair of scissors,
cut the ropes to release the bike,
and then rode it back home to Kam-
pong Bolkiah ‘B’.
The victim realised his
bike had gone missing the
same day, prompting a po-
lice report, which led to the
defendant’s arrest.
The prosecution also informed
the court, which noted the defen-
dant’s notoriety by the fact that
he holds previous theft-related
offences from conviction records
in 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007,
2009, 2012, 2015 and 2016.
Bandarku Ceria
vendors call for
easing of restrictions
depend heavily on the earnings
that we got from selling food,
drinks and household items, to
support our families.
“I don’t have a daily job and
have been trying to promote items
to friends and through social
media, but the revenue earned so
far isn’t that much.
“Wedohope that the authorities
could give some consideration to
the re-opening of vendor activities
for Bandarku Ceria on Sundays.”
Another vendor, Sabariah binti
Karim said, “My customers were
bothlocalsandforeignersspending
their off-day in the capital to ind
affordable clothing, second-hand
items and many more.
”I don’t earn much from my
daily job. After deducting the
car and house payments from
my monthly pay, the remaining
balance isn’t enough to sustain
my family.
“For minimum-wage workers
like me, business activities at
Bandarku Ceria are a means of
getting some money to buy our
daily necessities,” she added.
File photo shows customers and vendors during Bandarku Ceria. PHOTO: BAHYIAH BAKIR
One offender nabbed
at Belait roadblock
The roadblock saw one
compound ine issued to a road
user for using a rundown vehicle.
The RBPF will conduct similar
operations in the future and
reminded the public to ensure
the safety of road users and
pedestrians and to adhere to road
rules and regulations.
Police oficers during the roadblock. PHOTO: RBPF
Outraging modesty case: Uniformed personnel hires lawyer
Fadley Faisal
High Court dismisses drug abuser’s appeal
Bicycle thief gets 20
months behind bars