"If you look with interest, Seria... " a Seria Travel Page by cochinjew

The most curious and intelligent man I met on this visit to Brunei was a humble Moslem from Tanjore in India, Mr Abdul Salam who owns an Indian Restaurant in Seria: Restoran Marzuk Rizwana.
After the initial chit chat, we had a nice conversation about Fidel Castro, Non aligned movement, Hugo Chavez (whose fan he is). He came to Brunei in 1979, his family now lives in Pondicherry in India.
I enjoyed talking to him and this was the most interesting conversation in my three days in Brunei

Seria is synonymous with Brunei Shell Petroleum Company and it is here you see the origin and organization of its wealth.
Brunei used to be a British Protectorate and the older buildings have a distinct british military cantonment look to them. These houses, similar in appearance, one after the other, used to house the employees of the British Shell Petroleum Company, as it was then known.
The Brunei Malay are the friendliest Malay people that I have met: among Singapore, Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah

this town is full of expatriates: white Brown and Black, from Europe and Australia, from Pilipinas and Vietnam, and a large majority from India, almost all of them Tamoul Moslems from Tanjore District in Tamil Nadu.
The IT and Engineering Dept of Shell Co, employs Indian Professionals, as are the Doctors. Workers at the hotels seem to be from the Philippines. Most of these workers are here on contracts, usually of two years duration.
Brunei citizenship, like those of the other oil rich states, is one of the more difficult citizenships to acquire. With it comes a privilege of birth to death welfare state. Only 3 percent of Bruneians are employed by the Oil Industry which provides 90 per cent of the Income of the state. Thus the state wisely spents its income on the majority Malay population. This is not a rich country in either tradition or learning or education but it is a country of rich people: who have homes, cars and money to go shopping. There are hardly any bookstores or libraries or school buses.