‘Brunei Times’ closes, at least 130 out of a job

MIRI: Brunei Times, one of the English newspapers in oil-rich Brunei, will cease operations after 10 years starting today.

In a notice published on the front page of the compact broadsheet yesterday, it said the closure was due to “issues relating to business sustainability, especially in the face of considerable challenges from alternative media”.

The paper also extended its appreciation to the Brunei Government for its support by extending the licence to publish despite the issues it faced.

“The Brunei Times, however, no longer has sustainable resources to continue its media and publication operations.

“The company’s board of directors has agreed the best course of action is to close down the paper.”

As such, the paper hoped its readers, stakeholders and the public in general, would understand and appreciate that, given the business conditions and challenges faced by the media industry worldwide, such action was sadly inevitable.

When contacted, media representatives based in Brunei refused to comment on the closure as it was the paper’s “internal matter”.

The number of media personnel losing their job after the closure is still unknown, as there are conflicting reports on the closure.

The Bangkok Post reported in its official website www.bangkokpost.com yesterday that the shutdown would likely result in 130 staff losing their jobs.

But according to www.journalismpakistan.com, a total of 175 would be rendered jobless. It stated that the shutdown of the Brunei Times was not due to financial constraints.

Brunei Times was launched on July 1, 2006, and offered on a complimentary basis until July 16, 2006. Bernama