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SINGAPORE – Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat visited Brunei on Tuesday (November 10) to offer his condolences on behalf of the government to Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei on the death of his son, Prince Abdul Azim.
Heng, who is also the Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies and Minister of Finance, had an audience with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
He also visited and was invited to lunch by Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah, who is Chief Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister of Brunei.
Heng and Crown Prince Billah reaffirmed the excellent state of bilateral relations and explored ways to continue deepening the collaboration, Singapore’s Foreign Ministry (MFA) said in a statement.
Accompanying Mr. Heng on the trip were Dr. Maliki Osman, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Second Minister of Education and Foreign Affairs, as well as officials from the PMO and the MFA.
“Prince Azim was well known for his dedication to developing more opportunities for young people and helping the less fortunate in society,” DPM Heng wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
“Prince Azim studied in Singapore during his school years and was also a friend of Singapore,” he added.
Prince Abdul Azim died of multiple organ failure on October 24 due to an autoimmune disease. He was 38 years old.
He was diagnosed with severe systemic vasculitis earlier this year, a condition characterized by inflammation of the blood vessel walls.
Fourth in line to succeed the Brunei throne, Prince Abdul Azim was the second son of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
He studied at International School Brunei, Raffles Institution of Singapore, and Oxford Brookes University.
DPM Heng added of his meeting with Crown Prince Billah: “We agreed to explore new ways to further deepen the collaboration between our two countries.”
“I look forward to welcoming His Majesty and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Billah to Singapore when conditions for international travel are more favorable,” he added.
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