Conference's Venue: Indera Keyangan Ballroom, The Empire Hotel & Country Club

Conference Program
16 August 2008

8:00 – 9:00am

Arrival of delegates, speakers and chairmen

8:30 – 8:45am

Arrival of Keynote Speaker and Guests
8:40 – 8:50am

Arrival of Ambassadors, Deputy Ministers and Ministers

9:00am

 

9:15am

Arrival of Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Muta-Wakkilah Hayatul Bolkiah binti Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah as Guest of Honour

Event Start

Recital of Surah Al-Faatihah
By Yang Dimuliakan Pehin Orang Kaya Paduka Setia Raja Dato Paduka Seri Setia Haji Awang Suhaili bin Haji Mohiddin

Welcome Address
Dr. Colin Ong – President, Arbitration Association Brunei Darussalam

Opening & Keynote Speech on International Commercial Arbitration
by Dato Seri Paduka Haji Kifrawi bin Dato Paduka  Haji Kifli – the Honourable Attorney-General of Brunei Darussalam

Rectical of the Doa Selamat

Tea Break

 

10:15am

TOPIC 1: THE ROLE OF ARBITRATION IN DEVELOPING AND DEVELOPED ECONOMIES AND IMPORTANCE OF ARBITRATION SYSTEMS IN ATTRACTING FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT

Chairperson: Tomas Kennedy Grant QC – New Zealand
Speakers: Christoper To – Secretary General – HKIAC
Professor Lawrence Boo – Deputy Chairperson of SIAC
Mr. Jason Fry – Secretary General of ICC Court of International Arbitration

TOPIC 2: COMMON ISSUE DURING THE FIRST 20 YEARS OF UNCITRAL MODEL LAW (IMPLEMENTATION BY JURISDICTIONS; MODIFICATIONS; INTERPRETATION OF PUBLIC POLICY AND PROCEDURAL ISSUES; INJUCTIONS)

Chairperson: Justice Datin Hayati – High Court Brunei Darussalam
Speakers: Professor Janet Walker – Canada
Dr. Gavan Griffith QC – Former AG of Australia
Dr. Gerold Zeiler – Schonherr, Austria

12:30pm

Lunch Break

Lunch Speech on DISCOURSE IN INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION
Speaker: Dr. Vijay Bhatia – City University, Hong Kong

1:45pm

Start of Afternoon Session

TOPIC 3: THE IMPORTANCE OF INDEPENDENT ARBITRATION CENTRES AND THE ROLE OF INSTITUTIONAL ARBITRATION RULES AND FLEXIBILITY OF PROCEDURES WITHIN INSTITUTIONAL RULES

Chairperson: Khong Cheng Yee – Head of ICC Asia
Speakers: Michael Hwang – Deputy Chief Justice, DIFC, Dubai
Prof. Dr. Philip Chan – SIArb and NUS, Singapore
Dr Wang Wenying – CIETAC, China

Tea Break

TOPIC 4: COMMON INTERLOCUTORY PROBLEMS DURING ARBITRATIONS (DOCUMENTS; WITNESSES; COSTS; APPLICATIONS TO COURT AND PROCEDURAL ISSUES)

Chairperson: Chan Leng Sun – Ang & Partners
Speakers: Louise Barrington – King’s College, London
Judith Gill and Matthew Gearing – Allen Overy, UK
Andre Francis Maniam – WongPartnership LLP, Singapore

TOPIC 5: TO WHAT EXTENT ARE ARBITRATORS BOUND BY SUBSTANTIVE LAW PRINCIPLES AND RULES OF NATURAL JUSTICE?

Chairperson: Naresh Mahtani – Singapore (SIArb)
Speakers: Mohandass Kanagasabai – Malaysian Institute of Arbitrators
Professor Philip Yang – HKIAC, Hong Kong

5:00pm

End of Day 1 Conference

 


7:00pm – 7:30pm

Welcome / Gala Dinner
Venue : Empire Theatre
(Dress Code: Formal/Batik)

Arrival of Delegates, Chairmen, Spouses, Guests

 

7:45pm

Arrival of Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Pengiran Anak Puteri Hajah Muta-Wakkilah Hayatul Bolkiah binti Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah

Event Start immediately with welcome dance once HRH and guests at head table is seated

Dance: Berdatang Sembah

Welcome Speech by Y.A.M Pengiran Indera Negara Pengiran Anak Haji Puteh Ibni Al-Marhum Pengiran Pemancha Pengiran Anak Haji Mohammad Alam

Followed by Welcome dinner, cultural show performance

Preview of 3rd RAIF Conference Hong Kong

Group Photo with Guest of Honour

10:00pm

End of Dinner

17 August 2008

9:00am

Introduction Speech
Mohamad Daud Ismail – Secretary of AABD

Second Day Keynote Opening on PROMOTION OF INVESTMENT AND IMPORTANCE OF AN EFFECTIVE ARBITRATION CENTRE IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM
Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah bin Haji Abdul Wahab – Deputy Minister of MIPR cum Professions Co-ordinator of AABD

9:45am

TOPIC 1: THE ROLE OF NATIONAL COURTS IN INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION

Chairperson: Dato KC Vohrah (retired Justice of Appeal, Malaysia)
Speakers: Professor Phillip Capper – UK
Justice VK Rajah – Court of Appeal Judge, Singapore

Tea Break

TOPIC 2: COURT INTERVENTION IN INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION – THE UK AND ASIA PACIFIC EXPERIENCES

Chairperson: Dr. Colin Ong – President, AABD
Speakers: Dr. Wang Wenying – CIETAC, China
Stephen Nathan QC – UK
Judge Leslie Chew – District Court Judge, Singapore

Topic 3: COURT INTERVENTIONS IN INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATIONS EXPERIENCES OF SELECTED ASEAN COUNTRIES

Chairperson: Y.A.M Pengiran Indera Negara Pengiran Anak Haji Puteh Ibni Al-Marhum Pengiran Pemancha Pengiran Anak Haji Mohamed Alam – AABD Committee, Former Brunei Darussalam Ambassador to United States.
Speakers: Nish Shetty – WongPartnership LLP, Singapore
Husseyn Umar – BANI, Indonesia
Prof. Nakamura – President, JCAA Japan
James Monteiro – KLRCA
Dr Reinhard Neumann – Director JCAA, Japan

12:30pm

Lunch Break @ Indera Pura Lounge

1:30pm

Start of Afternoon Session

TOPIC 4: CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PROMOTION OF ARBITRATION IN THE RAIF REGION – A COUNTRY REPORT

Chairperson: Professor Ian Bailey SC (Institute of Arbitrators & Mediators Australia)
Speakers: Johnny Tan – President, Singapore Institute of Arbitrators
Gary Soo – President, Hong Kong Institute Arbitration
Dato Kevin Woo – President, Malaysian Institute of Arbitrators
Ahmad Jefri – Senior Counsel of AG’s Chambers Brunei Darussalam

Tea Break @ Indera Kayangan Ballroom foyer

TOPIC 5: PANEL DISCUSSION ON THE FUTURE OF INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION

Chairperson: Mr. G.P Selvam – retired Singapore High Court Judge
Speakers: Professor Kevin Kim – KCAB, Korea
Erik Wilbers – Director, World Intellectual Property Organisation Arbitration and Mediation Center
Manuel Bautista, JR – ICDR Asia

5:00pm

End of Day 2 and Conference

FOR RAIF COUNCIL MEMBERS, SPEAKERS & CHAIRPERSON ONLY

Closing Dinner at Li Gong Restaurant

7:00 – 7:30pm

Arrival of RAIF Council Members

7:30pm

RAIF Council Member Dinner and Speech by Dr. Colin Ong, President of Arbitration Association Brunei Darussalam

9:30pm

End of Council Meeting and Dinner