Sultan of Brunei, Jokowi and Tun M to attend Singapore's Bicentennial edition of National Day Parade

SINGAPORE, July 3 (Bernama) -- Singapore today confirmed that leaders of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia will attend the Bicentennial edition of the republic’s National Day Parade this year on Aug 9, which will be held at the Padang.

According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad have accepted Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s invitation to attend the Parade.

"Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia are close neighbours and friends of Singapore and we have deep historical ties with these countries," a PMO spokesperson said in a statement here.

During the 9th Malaysia-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat in Putrajaya last April, Lee had invited Dr Mahathir and his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali to attend this year’s parade and Dr Mahathir had accepted the invitation.

The Singapore Bicentennial marks the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the British in Singapore.

-- BERNAMA