BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, BRUNEI - Brunei has put on hold celebrations to mark the birthday of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah after a swine flu outbreak, the government said over the weekend.

The government said in a statement only a mass prayer session on the eve of the sultan's birthday on July 15, when he turns 63, will go ahead as planned.

The sultanate reported its first swine flu death last week when a 12-year-old girl died on Thursday from the A(H1N1) virus.

Brunei, an Islamic monarchy on the northern tip of Borneo island in Southeast Asia, has over 120 swine flu cases, government data released over the weekend showed.