BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

SMARTER Brunei has stopped a few of its training programmes for their students with autism in light of the recent burglary at their centre last Saturday.

Electrical appliances from their kitchen, located outside their Sengkurong centre, were stolen that morning.

President and CEO of SMARTER Malai Hj Abdullah Hj Malai Othman told The Brunei Times yesterday that they were told by investigating officers at the Royal Brunei Police Force that they needed to move their kitchen indoors.

This move meant taking up one of the seven classrooms.

“This has caused a hiccup in our seamless running operations, and we have to readjust and familiarise the students into a different environment,” he said.

According to Malai Hj Abdullah, it will take time for students to get used to the new kitchen being indoors, adding that cooking inside is hot and uncomfortable.

Asked whether anyone had come forward to donate to them since the incident, he said parents of the students had immediately come forward to replace the electrical items. Several embassies had also queried on any items required by the centre.

“I definitely want to say a big thank you to everyone who is helping us,” Malai Hj Abdullah said. “One of the tools which we use to help the students has been taken away from us, so we continue to need more support from the public. I don’t want people to think we are impatient, but time is our enemy so we are hoping for people to come forward and help you.”

Stolen items including a microwave oven, blender, thermos pot and two rice cookers, were almost all donated.

This is the first time any of centre’s belongings had been stolen since the Sengkurong branch opened in 2003.

The Brunei Times