BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN — In a highlight of weeks-long celebration to mark the golden jubilee of his accession to the throne, Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on Friday (Oct 6) hosted a royal banquet for regional leaders and royalties around the world.

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The grand black-tie event took place at Istana Nurul Iman in Bandar Seri Begawan with guests from South-east Asia, the Middle East and the United Kingdom decked out in their formal best.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong — who was clad in a black-tie suit — and his wife, Madam Ho Ching were among the VIPs seated at a large round main table with the Brunei ruler and his wife, Queen Saleha.

Also present at the banquet were Brunei Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah and his wife Pengiran Anak Sarah, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his wife, Iriana Widodo, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha and Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar.

Sultan Bolkiah, 71, ascended to the throne of the Muslim country perched on the north of tropical Borneo island in October 1967, and comes from a royal family that has ruled the country for over 600 years.

His decades ruling Brunei have seen the country gain full independence from Britain.

PM Lee had an audience with Sultan Bolkiah on Friday afternoon, and conveyed Singapore’s congratulations to the Sultan on the occasion of the golden jubilee, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement, adding that both leaders “looked forward to further strengthening bilateral and regional cooperation”.

Posting on his Facebook page on Friday evening, Mr Lee said he was “delighted to extend my warmest congratulations to the Sultan on the Golden Jubilee of his reign, which has brought peace and prosperity to the people of Brunei”.

“We reaffirmed our warm and strong bilateral relationship, and the progress in our bilateral cooperation,” he added.

Mr Lee had previously attended Sultan Bolkiah’s silver jubilee celebration in October 1992, as then-Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry.

In his Facebook post, Mr Lee had noted that he last met the Sultan in July where the Ruler was on a state visit to Singapore to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Currency Interchangeability Agreement (CIA) between the two countries.

To mark the milestone, Mr Lee and the Sultan had launched commemorative S$50 and B$50 notes.

The CIA was established in 1967 to promote bilateral monetary cooperation. Under the agreement, the monetary authorities of both nations will accept the currency issued by the other, and to exchange it at par and without charge, into their own currency.

Sultan Bolkiah marked 50 years on the throne on Thursday (Oct 5) with celebrations including a glittering procession, a 21-gun salute and a ceremony at his vast, golden-domed palace.

The Golden Jubilee celebrations are expected to continue until Oct 22. AGENCIES