His Royal Highness Prince General Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, with consent from His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, bestowed 625 recipients with honorary medals during an investiture ceremony at Balai Singgahsana Indera Kenchana, Istana Nurul Iman yesterday.

Thirty-six recipients were bestowed Meritorious Service Medals (Pingat Jasa Kebaktian), 362 received Excellent Service Medals (Pingat Indah Kerja Baik) and 227 received Long Service Medals (Pingat Kerja Lama).

Tan San Leong, 71-year-old Chung Hwa School Chairman who received a PJK medal, said it was the third award he had been nominated for after Excellent Service Medal and PSB (Most Blessed Order of Loyalty to the State of Brunei, or, Darjah Setia Negara Brunei Yang Amat Bahagia Fourth Class).

He added that the medals awarded to him would give him extra impetus to work harder and contribute more towards the development of the organisation, as well as the country.

Dk Rokiyah binti Pengiran Haji Md Asraff from the Housing Development Department under the Ministry of Development was among the female recipients of the award yesterday.

Dk Rokiyah, who received an Excellent Service Medal, said being nominated was already an honour as it showed that her efforts to improve her work had been noticed and appreciated by the government.

Meanwhile, Excellent Service Medal recipients Mrs Corazon and Dayang Zaitun, both from the Pharmaceutical Services, Ministry of Health, expressed appreciation for having been acknowledged for nearly 20 years of service with the department.

Forty-five-year-old Awang Adanan bin Haji Mohammad, who works for the Fisheries Department under the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, said that the Long Service Medal he received yesterday was his second after he was awarded an Excellent Service Medal a few years ago.

"It was very unexpected," he added.

Excellent Service Medal recipients Abdul Rahiman bin Haji Kamis and Awang Guan Chang bin Yaba from the Brunei Industry Development Authority (BINA) under the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources expressed their gratitude for the government's recognition of their services.

Meanwhile, the three-day ceremony saw a total of 1,948 people being awarded for their contributions to the country.

The event, which began on March 19, was held in conjunction with His Majesty's 62nd birthday celebrations. - Borneo Bulletin (22nd Mar 2009)