Bolkiah first leader to arrive

JAKARTA (JP): Brunei leader Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah flew in aboard his private plane yesterday to become the first head of government to attend next week's APEC Economic Leaders Meeting (AELM) in nearby Bogor.

Also on board was his younger brother Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, who is Brunei's foreign minister, to attend the APEC ministerial meeting which opens today.

Sultan Bolkiah, king of the tiny oil rich sultanate, is no stranger to Indonesia, where he has extensive investments.

He was greeted by Minister of Defense Edi Sudradjat at the Halim Perdanakusuma airport and later driven in a limousine, bearing the plate number AELM 2, to the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

Most other APEC leaders will arrive on Sunday, although the Bogor meeting is not scheduled until Tuesday. However, Japanese and South Korean leaders are scheduled to arrive tomorrow.

The leaders will be staying in eight different hotels in Jakarta.

A number of the APEC leaders, including U.S. President Bill Clinton and South Korean President Kim Young-Sam, are combining their APEC attendance with a state visit to Indonesia.

The various APEC leaders will also be holding bilateral meetings on Monday, the eve of the Bogor talks. (als)