Panaga Explained

Panaga is a coastal settlement on the north-east coast of the island of Borneo, in the Bruneian district of Belait. Officially known as, it is a village-level subdivision under Seria, a mukim or subdistrict of Belait.^[2] The settlement of Panaga comprises a public housing estate under the National Housing Scheme and the housing estate of Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP), the main oil and gas company in the country. Panaga is also home to the headquarters of the company itself. The postcode for Panaga is KB4533.^{[3] [4]}

Geography

Panaga is located east of the administrative capital of the Belait District, Kuala Belait and west of Seria. It is approximately 110 kilometres south-west of the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan.

History

During the 1962 Brunei revolt, the rebels from the Brunei People's Party launched an assault on the Seria oil town and the Panaga Police Station with the assistance of the North Kalimantan National Army.^[5] There were rebel efforts to seize control of the police station, but they were repelled and it remained unoccupied throughout.^[6]

Subdivisions

Kampung Panaga can be subdivided into:

• Jalan Utara. This is home to a large number of expatriates due to a large concentration of Brunei Shell housing and facilities located in the area. The head offices of Brunei Shell Petroleum is found in this area as well as the well-known clubs Panaga Club and BSRC.
• The Canadian Houses area along Jalan Tengah. This area consists mainly of Shell housing facilities built in the style of Canadian log houses. The timber used to construct these houses were imported from Canada.
• The area around the Panaga Police Station and Sekolah Rendah Panaga (Panaga Primary School). This area is predominantly Malay and more commonly associated with the term "Kampung Panaga".
• The military area immediately to the west of the town area.
• North and West of Seria. These are the areas between Panaga proper and the municipality of Seria. It contains a number of British Army and Brunei Shell facilities and housing for both the British Army and Brunei Shell employees.^[7]

Kampung Panaga is currently only one 'Kampung', however current plans are to divide Panaga into two parts, namely Kampung Panaga 'A' and Kampung Panaga 'B'.

Public housing

See also: Public housing in Brunei. Some of the residents live in the houses at Perumahan Negara Panaga, a public housing area managed under the Housing Development Department. Planned 2,000 houses was contracted to Bina Puri from Malaysia, thus began construction in 2009 and expected completion by 2011.^[8]

Infrastructure

Panaga is home to the headquarters of Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) which is the primary oil and gas producer in the country.^{[9] [10]}

The Panaga Police Station is also the District's Police Headquarters.^[11]

Panaga Health is the sole clinic in the area.^[12]

On 7 April 2021, BSP opens a solar energy facility to promote sustainable energy. The 3.3 MW solar farm can provide enough electricity annually to power 600 homes.^[13]

Education

Schools in Panaga include:

• Hornbill School Brunei (Private)^[14]
• Panaga Primary School (Public)^[15]
• Panaga Religious School (Public)^[16]
• Panaga School (Private) - consisted of two campuses which are; Teraja Campus and Rampayoh Campus.^[17]
• ISB Centre for Inclusive Learning (Private)^[18]

Recreation

There are two recreational clubs in the area, the Panaga Club and the Brunei Shell Recreational Club (BSRC), which are primarily used by Brunei Shell Petroleum employees and expatriates. In 2004, the BSRC Football Club was founded in Panaga.^[19]

The British Army maintains its own recreational activities within the British Garrison. This area is not open to the public.

Notable people

• Khairul Khalil (born 1975), former prince consort^[20]

Notes and References

1. Book: BUKU DIREKTORI TELEFON PENGHULU-PENGHULU MUKIM DAN KETUA-KETUA KAMPUNG NEGARA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM . April 2024 . . 4 . Brunei . 21 . ms.
2. Web site: Belait District. www.information.gov.bn. 9. 2018-02-26.
3. Web site: Brunei Postal Services - postcodes. post.gov.bn. en-GB. 2018-02-26.
4. Web site: Panaga, Seria, Belait: KB4533 Brunei Postcode. brn.postcodebase.com. en. 2018-02-26.
5. Book: Gunaratna . Rohan . Handbook Of Terrorism In The Asia-pacific . Kam . Stefanie Li Yee . 2016-06-22 . World Scientific . 978-1-78326-997-6 . 146 . en.
6. Book: Melayong, Muhammad Hadi bin Muhammad . The Catalyst Towards Victory . 2010 . Brunei History Centre, Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports . 978-99917-34-71-2 . 125 . en.
7. [Seria]
8. Book: . 28.
9. Web site: Contact . 2017-09-10 . www.bsp.com.bn.
10. Web site: Overview of our Business . 2017-09-10 . www.bsp.com.bn.
11. Web site: 2019-06-04 . Balai Polis Panaga dibuka semula » Media Permata Online . 2023-01-11 . Balai Polis Panaga dibuka semula . en-US.
12. Web site: 2022-03-17 . Panaga Health Centre dijenamakan semula » Media Permata Online . 2023-01-11 . Panaga Health Centre dijenamakan semula . en-US.
13. Web site: Bakar . Rasidah Hj Abu . 2021-04-07 . BSP launches solar park in turn to renewable energy . 2023-01-11 . The Scoop . en-GB.
14. Web site: Hornbill School Brunei . 2023-01-11 . hornbill.school.
15. Web site: 2019-06-27 . Jom Raya SR Panaga meriah » Media Permata Online . 2023-01-11 . Jom Raya SR Panaga meriah . en-US.
16. Web site: Berita 2016 - Sesi persekolahan agama bermula . 2023-01-11 . www.pelitabrunei.gov.bn.
17. Web site: Panaga School, Brunei, Shell Petroleum . 2023-01-11 . mysite . en.
18. News: 21 June 2021 . Centre for inclusive learning officially opens . .
19. Web site: BSRC FC . 2023-01-11 . en-US.
20. Web site: Tengkusyah . 2013-02-25 . Maharum Bugis Syah (MBS): Kenali Menantu-Menantu Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan dan Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam . 2023-10-06 . Maharum Bugis Syah (MBS).