Kampong Sungai Akar

Sungai Akar
Village and neighbourhood
Kampong Akar Camp
Sungai Akar Camp
Location in Brunei
Coordinates: 4°56′16″N114°58′00″E / 4.9378°N 114.9667°E / 4.9378; 114.9667
Country	Brunei
District	Brunei-Muara
Mukim	Berakas 'B'
Government
•  Village head	Zailani Abdul Malik [1]
Population  (2016) [2]
• Total	5,467
Time zone	UTC+8 (BNT)
Postcode	BC4115

Kampong Sungai Akar ^{[lower-alpha 1]} (Malay : Kampung Sungai Akar) or commonly known as Sungai Akar, is a village in Brunei-Muara District, Brunei, as well as a neighbourhood in the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. The population was 5,467 in 2016. ^[2]

Etymology

According to folk tale, there used to be many snakes, especially in the rivers, whether small snakes or big snakes like the swallow snake. The elders understood the snake as a 'akar', so the name Kampung Sungai Akar arose because if given the name of Kampung Sungai Ular, it would certainly not sound good. ^[3]

Administration

Kampong Sungai Akar is one of the villages under Mukim Berakas 'B', a mukim in Brunei-Muara District. It has the postcode BC4115. ^[4] The village has also been subsumed under the municipal area of the capital Bandar Seri Begawan. ^[5]

Demography

According to the population census conducted by the Department of Statistics, Department of Planning and Economic Development in 2011, the total population in Kampong Sungai Akar is 6,336 people, namely 3,788 males and 2,458 females. ^[3]

Infrastructure

Several government offices are located in the village, including the Radio Television Brunei Department (RTB) and the Land Transport Department. In addition, there are also secondary and primary schools, namely Freda Radin School, Stella School, PGGMB School, Arab Secondary School and Miftah An-Nur Islamic International School. ^{[3] [6]}

The village mosque is Rashidah Sa'adatul Bolkiah Mosque and it was inaugurated by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on 19 July 2013. ^[7] The mosque was built at a cost of around B$3.2 million (US$2.4 million as of October 2021). ^{[7] [8]} It can accommodate 1,000 worshippers. ^[7]

The Sungai Akar Camp hosts the Gurkha Reserve Unit (GRU). ^{[9] [10]} Additionally, the Officer Cadet School (OCS) of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) is also located within the base. ^[11]

The village is also home to the Bangladesh and India High Commissions. ^[12]

Achievements

On 19 February 2010, Kampong Sungai Akar was announced as the champion and became an exemplary village in the Cleanliness and Beauty Contest for villages under Mukim Berakas 'B'. ^[3]

In addition, this village has also successfully collected donations amounting to BND1,459 for the collection of donations for the Indonesian earthquake and the Philippine storm which collection was held for a month starting from 19 November 2009 until 19 December 2009. ^[3]

The Muslim women of this village mosque have also succeeded in winning the Murattal Al-Quran team competition for the Muslim women of Brunei and Muara district mosques on 9 February 2015. ^[3]

Notable people

• Abdul Momin Othman (1923–2006), diplomat and politician ^[13]

Notes

1. From the Malay name, 'Sungai Akar Village'

References

1. BUKU DIREKTORI TELEFON PENGHULU-PENGHULU MUKIM DAN KETUA-KETUA KAMPUNG NEGARA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM (PDF) (in Malay). Vol. 4. Brunei: Bahagian Perancangan Daerah, Ministry of Home Affairs. April 2024. p. 8.
2. "Population and Housing Census Update Final Report 2016" (PDF). www.deps.gov.bn. Department of Statistics. December 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
3. KOMPILASI RENCANA KNK 2015 (PDF) (in Malay). Kenali Negera Kitani. 2015. pp. 141–144.
4. "Buku Poskod Edisi Kedua (Kemaskini 26 Disember 2018)" (PDF). post.gov.bn (in Malay). Brunei Postal Services Department. 26 December 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
5. Za'im Zaini; Sonia K (23 July 2007). "Brunei capital to become nearly ten times bigger". Archived from the original on 1 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021– via bn.china-embassy.org.
6. "Miftah An-Nur". www.miftah.edu.bn. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
7. Abdullah Asgar (19 July 2013). "Berangkat tunaikan Sembahyang Fardu Jumaat Pertama di Masjid Rashidah Sa'adatul Bolkiah" (PDF). Pelita Brunei (in Malay). No. 58 #86 (published 20 July 2013). Jabatan Penerangan. pp. 1, 12–13. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
8. "3,200,000 BND to USD - Bruneian Dollars to US Dollars Exchange Rate". XE.com . Retrieved 12 October 2021.
9. Times, Nepali (14 December 2020). "A forgotten Gurkha rebellion". nepalitimes.com. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
10. USA, IBP. Brunei Air force Handbook - Strategic Information and Weapon Systems. Lulu.com. p. 205. ISBN   978-1-4330-0429-2.
11. "Governor-General of New Zealand visits OCS". Ministry of Defence Brunei Darussalam. 12 October 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
12. "Embassy". Information Department, Prime Minister's Office. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
13. "Negara Brunei Darussalam: obituaries 2006. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 20 December 2023.