Edwin Nirbhavane

Kampung Ayer is a prominent traditional settlement in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. It comprises neighbourhoods of traditional houses, schools and mosques built on stilts above the Brunei River near the capital's city centre.[2][3] It has an area of about 10 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi);[1] the total population was 10,250 in 2016.[a] It has been historically nicknamed 'Venice of the East'.[4][3] Kampung Ayer has been historically the principal settlement of Brunei; it was the de facto capital, in particular social and economic centre, of the Bruneian Empire for a few centuries, but also extending into the early period during British imperialism in Brunei.

The present name 'Kampung Ayer' is the obsolete romanised spelling of the Malay term 'Kampung Air', which literally means 'Water Village'. However, the old spelling version is retained and still used as the primary name of the place.

In general, village names are based on a number of themes, including the title of the state dignitaries who resided there, the area's specialty trade, the location of the village, or the site of a notable event or celebration. Examples of names based on nearby locations or rivers include Kampong Sungai Kedayan, Kampong Sungai Asam, Kampong Pekan Lama, Kampong Sungai Pandan, Kampong Lurong Dalam, Kampong Lurong Sikuna, Kampong Sungai Si Amas, Kampong Ujong Klinik, Kampong Sungai Kebun, and Kampong Bukit Berumput.[5]

The names of the major state dignitaries or the village chiefs are used to create the designations Kampong Sultan Lama, Kampong Pengiran Bendahara Lama, Kampong Pemancha Lama, Kampong Bakut Siraja Muda, Kampong Pengiran Kerma Indera Lama, Kampong Pengiran Tajuddin Hitam, Kampong Setia Negara, Kampong Setia, and Kampon Setia Pahlawan. The villages of Kampong Peramu, Kampong Pekilong Muara, and Kampong Pandai Besi are named after their craftspeople.[5]

Several settlements' names vanished as they were merged into neighboring villages. Kampong Kandang Batu and Kampong Alangan were among them. Several villages have completely vanished. Many villages, including Kampong Saudagar, Kampong Pasir, Kampong Belanak, Kampong Panchur Berasur, Kampong Tekuyong, Kampong Pengiran Daud, Kampong Pengiran Ajak, and Kampong Jawatan Jeludin, were mentioned in writing by an English historian in the middle of the 19th century, but their locations have never been determined.[5]

Kampong Ayer is believed to have been inhabited for several centuries. There are several historical records, particularly foreign sources, which reported the existence of 'water settlements' on the Brunei River. The most well known is arguably the account by Antonio Pigafetta, an Italian explorer, on his visit to Brunei as part of the Magellan fleet in 1521,[6] in which he described the settlement as

There is a possibility that the stilt settlement might not have always been where it is today, that Kampong Ayer might have undergone relocation throughout history. Olivier van Noort, a Dutch, on his stay in Brunei from December 1600 to January 1601, described the houses (of the nobles) as

The stilt settlement of what we know today as Kampong Ayer had always been the primary settlement area of the de facto capital of the Bruneian Empire for centuries.[7] However, the role also extended into the time from the arrival, and subsequent imperial presence of the British even until the early 20th century. It was only during the Residential period that a programme which encouraged the Kampong Ayer residents to resettle on land began to be introduced, although it was initially unsuccessful but eventually took off, resulting in significant reduction to its population. Nevertheless, substantial number of residents still remain to live on water. Kampong Ayer also survived bombardments during World War II.[8]

Kampong Ayer encompasses six mukims and several administrative villages:[9]

The mukims and villages are also part of the municipal area of Bandar Seri Begawan.[11]

Houses in Kampong Ayer are built on stilts above the water. They are traditionally made of wood and adopt the style of traditional Malay houses. The houses may be up to two-storey high. Majority are built privately, thus may have individual style, whereas some which have been built under the public housing initiatives (notably those in Kampong Bolkiah and the houses under the pilot rejuvenation project in Kampong Lurong Sikuna) have a more uniform style akin to housing estates on land.

Kampong Ayer has an extensive network of walkways on stilts and pedestrian bridges connecting the houses and other buildings. They are built of wood, concrete or with metal stilts. For neighbourhoods without connecting walkways due to being separated by wide waterways, mobility is done by motorboats. The boats are usually made of wood and in traditional local style, but installed with engines. They are commonly known as perahu tambang (translated as 'water taxis') as trips are charged with fares similar to car taxis.[3] The boats may also transport passengers between the land and the neighbourhoods not on the riverbanks.

Common utilities may include electricity, pipe water, telephone lines, internet access and television services.[2] As of 2017, fixed wireless has been made available with the speed of up to 100Mbps.[12] It has been implemented to eliminate the difficulty of house-to-house installation and overcome frequent internet cable theft.[13]

Educational institutions are available in Kampong Ayer which provide public education comprising primary, primary religious and secondary. There are at least a primary school in each mukim. Similarly, religious schools can also be found, which provide primary religious education to the resident Muslim pupils. The secondary school in Kampong Ayer, Awang Semaun Secondary School, is the only school of its kind where its buildings are built on water. Nevertheless, Sayyidina Umar Al-Khattab Secondary School, which is built on land, also has catchment area in some villages of Kampong Ayer.

Other public facilities include mosques, police stations and fire departments. Fire cases are common in Kampong Ayer, in which the reported main causes include faulty wiring and susceptibility of the buildings to fire due to many being built of wood.[14]

As a major historical and cultural heritage of Brunei, there has been increasing concern on the survival of Kampong Ayer in modern times. This is factored by the emigration and relocation of the inhabitants to land. Over the last few decades, the overall population has been shrinking, estimated to have decreased from about 28,000 in 1981 to 13,000 in 2011.[15] The diminishing population, added with the busy modern lifestyle, are threatening the survival of the customs and traditions practiced in Kampong Ayer. It also weakens the sense of community among the residents.[15]

The floating of rubbish and sewage on the waters of Kampong Ayer is a persisting issue despite substantial measures and initiatives taken by various government and non-government agencies.[16] It is acknowledged that the sources of the problem are not simply from within Kampong Ayer but may also due to ineffective waste management on land, specifically in the vicinity of upstream tributaries and streams of the Brunei River, in which Kampong Ayer lay along its downstream flow.[17] Measures have been implemented by the government which include upgrading and installation of sewage treatment works in the catchment areas, as well as installation of rubbish collection system in the villages of Kampong Ayer.[17][18] However, complete success is still yet to be seen. Systematic sewage disposal in Kampong Ayer itself is only feasible on public housing villages, namely Bolkiah 'A', Bolkiah 'B' and Sungai Bunga, where they have organised residential layout, where as in the traditional villages, which constitute the majority of Kampong Ayer areas, such disposal system is still not yet available.[17]

Non-government organisations also play significant roles in combatting this issue. Together with the government, as well as the general public, in particular the Kampong Ayer residents, multiple cleaning campaigns have been conducted.[16] Awareness programmes to the public on the importance of waste management have also been carried out for many years.[17] Again, the effectiveness of such programmes have yet to completely yield the desired results.

In general, a CFI is a court-appointed neutral who is tasked with conducting an investigation and making recommendations to the court on issues related to children of divorcing or separating parents.

Gavin Halligan of Halligan LLC is a highly skilled Colorado family law attorney and dedicated CFI. She has extensive experience with litigation and appeals in complex family law matters, including divorce and child custody. As a victim’s advocate, Attorney Halligan also has experience with issues such as child abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, and relocation. To learn more about Attorney Gavin Halligan's CFI services, contact Halligan LLC at (720) 608-2361 or contact us online.

Divorcing or separating parents can face many challenges throughout a sometimes high-conflict litigation process. Some of these challenges include:

Determining fairness can always be difficult for parents when working through parenting time issues. Shared parenting time is usually presumed, but if the child’s well-being is left unconsidered, egregious long-term consequences could arise.

The responsibilities associated with parental decision-making about education, health care, and other issues for the child(ren) are not to be taken lightly in Colorado. Parental decision-making rights have an enormous effect on the child’s well-being.

Colorado authorities take child abuse allegations very seriously. In cases where child abuse allegations are present, the court will likely appoint a CFI or Parental Responsibility Evaluator (PRE) to conduct a thorough investigation. The courts in Colorado also take allegations of substance abuse seriously. If the court deems one parent’s substance abuse to be a danger to the children, it could negatively impact their parenting time and parental decision making authority.

When parents in Colorado separate or file for a divorce, sometimes one or both parties will relocate to a new city or even leave the state. This factor can greatly complicate matters of parenting time and may require the appointment of a CFI.

Gavin Halligan will do everything in her power to look after the safety and overall health of the child or the children of the relationship. In her CFI role, Gavin's primary goal in making recommendations to the court is to ensure a safe environment where the best interests of the child or children are met.

A court can appoint a CFI on its own or the parents can request the court appoint a CFI. Here are some of the frequently asked questions about the function of a CFI.

A CFI is a court-appointed third-party neutral investigator whose primary responsibility is to make recommendations in the best interests of a child undergoing the impact of a family transition such as divorce or parental separation. Substance abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, or parental relocation can also be components of the investigation. A CFI is usually an attorney or mental health professional.

The services of a CFI are most often needed in divorce or separation cases when there are disputes over parenting time schedules or shared responsibilities.

In domestic relations cases,  a CFI must be appointed by the court to investigate specific aspects of the family dynamic. Even if you and your spouse both agree on the need for a CFI, you must still ask the court to appoint one.

There have been very few instances in which the parties agree a CFI is needed and the Judge refuses to grant the motion. If the Judge agrees with the need for a CFI, then it comes down to who the CFI will be.

If the parties do not agree upon who the CFI will be, the courts usually have each party submit proposed names and the Court appoints one of those proposed by the parties.

A CFI typically conducts an investigation by interviewing you, the other parent, the child(ren), and other persons related to the best interests of the child(ren), such as their teachers, family friends, and any involved medical/mental health professionals. A home visit is usually required. If necessary, and depending upon what specific issues are in dispute, a CFI also obtains documents such as medical records, police reports, or other relevant paperwork. The CFI sometimes may have to testify at trial if the parents do not settle. The presiding judge, however, makes all final decisions if the parties do not settle.

Gavin Halligan of Halligan, LLC, is an experienced Colorado family law attorney and dedicated CFI. With her additional background as a victim’s advocate, she is committed to safeguarding the best interests of children.

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