| Azlan Othman |

INTERNATIONAL drug syndicates are resorting to the Internet and social media to recruit Bruneians as drug mules, said Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Education Officer Rahaman bin Haji Panjang yesterday, during a briefing session hosted by the Information Department.

“Bruneians have been used to smuggle drugs to Australia, Chile and China by air,” he said. “The (syndicates’) tactics involve luring them with free airfare, promises of marriage, lucrative payment and other rewards.”

He also advised those travelling abroad to secure their luggage with locks, and to be very cautious when approached by strangers.

The briefing session was held at the NCB Headquarters for the residents of RPN Kampong Panaga, who also heard a talk on domestic violence by Investigation Officer from the Women and Children Abuse Investigation Unit under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) Awangku Safajaya bin Pengiran Haji Ali.

The talk gave statistics of wife abuse, which were 122 cases in 2017, compared to 173 in 2016.

Meanwhile, there were three reported cases of husband abuse in 2017, compared to four in 2016.

On domestic violence perpetrated by family members, 20 cases were reported in 2017, compared to 27 in 2016.

Twenty rape cases were recorded in 2016-17, with 10 cases of rape being perpetrated by biological family members.

Forty cases of immoral acts were reported in 2017 compared to 48 in 2016, while there were two sodomy cases in 2017 and one in 2016.

On the issue of abandoned infants, two dead infants were found in 2017 compared to four in 2016.

One abandoned infant was rescued in 2016, with the same occurring in 2017.

Meanwhile, three cases of unruly adolescents were recorded in 2017, compared to two in 2016.