MORE than 200 people participated in a run organised by the Persatuan Warganegara Malaysia (PWM) yesterday

Dubbed 'Larian Muhibbah', the event which started at 7am was divided into two categories: the Jungle Trail which required participants to traverse 5 kilometre into the woods around the consulate areas, while the VIP run only circled a short distance before returning to the Malaysia High Commission building.

The participants of various ages were comprised members of PWM and the public.

Speaking to The Brunei Times after the run, Alex Establecida said that he enjoyed the atmospheric ambience of the environment and the overall freshness of the surrounding woods. The 33-year-old graphic designer for Yellow Pages saw the event as a means to get in touch more with people.

"I feel very happy for being able to take part in this run, the Secretary to Malaysia High Commissioner, Manira Abd Latif said. 

When asked about the differences of having similar event in Malaysia, the 41-year-old related that back home, the participants were huge in number. Still, she observed that many people turned up during the race yesterday.

Similarly, Deputy High Commissioner Haznah Md Hashim said that the Larian Muhibah if done outside of Malaysia would automatically instill the sense of unity and togetherness. 

According to Haznah, being far away from home made the people (Malaysians) feel the need to maintain the cohesive bond with their fellow countrymen and women.

"In Malaysia, this type of event feels quite normal. But since we are here and are far from our village, we the unity is strengthened," she added. Nevertheless, the Deputy High Commissioner also noted that locals did join the run and she was "very grateful for it. She expressed her gratitude for local participation because this shows that Malaysia and Brunei have a healthy relationship on a community level.

Touching on the relations between the two countries, Haznah described the ties as being "very special". 

The distinguished relations between His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Negara Brunei Darussalam and Yang di-Pertuan Agong as well as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak have been the most important for the two countries diplomatically. 

She also observed the exchange of high level visits made by leader from both sides. As a whole, both Brunei and Malaysia continued to cooperate on various areas.

The event yesterday was open to public with registration fees of $15 for adults and $10 for children. 

Free drinks and light refreshments were prepared for the participants. Also, t-shirt was also given to each of the runners.