Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is currently resting in a Kuala Lumpur hospital after experiencing fatigue during a summit of Southeast Asian leaders, according to Malaysia's Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who currently chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, confirmed that the 78-year-old Sultan had been admitted to the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur. He made the statement in response to a question during a press conference.
"He's a little bit tired and resting," Anwar said, without providing further details about the Sultan's condition or the length of his stay in the hospital.
The sultan has ruled the oil-rich nation of Brunei, on the island of Borneo, since 1967. He was once the world's richest man and remains hugely popular, despite holding a firm grip on power in the country of nearly half a million people.
Under his rule, Brunei gained full independence from Britain and oversaw a rise in living standards to among the highest in Asia.
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