JAKARTA; Indonesia will push for stronger regional cooperation to tackle transboundary haze at the 49th ASEAN Summit in Manila, with Jakarta seeking the ratification of an agreement to establish a regional centre to coordinate efforts against forest and land fires.
Less than two weeks before the summit, Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir led a meeting on Tuesday with Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni, Environment Minister Jumhur Hidayat and Finance Ministry representatives to follow up on President Prabowo Subianto’s directive to strengthen “coordination and communication with regional neighbours”.
The meeting, according to the Foreign Ministry, focused particularly on addressing “irresponsible business practices” contributing to the months-long forest and peatland fires in Indonesia, whose toxic haze has spread to neighbouring countries and raised health concerns across Southeast Asia.
“Addressing forest and land fires is a top priority. To break the cycle of irresponsible business practices, we need synergy across all relevant ministries and agencies, as well as strong cooperation with our partner nations,” Arrmanatha said.
The National Police have named at least 20 corporations and more than 200 individuals as suspects in cases involving alleged deliberate land-clearing fires or negligence resulting in public health emergencies.
They include 16 domestic firms and four foreign-invested firms from Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea.
Arrmanatha also called for the utilisation of the recently established Joint Task Force on Strengthening Business Responsibilities between Indonesia and Singapore, which aims to address businesses’ roles in the fire crisis through information-sharing and cross-border evidence gathering.
The task force was announced on Oct 27 after the haze strained Indonesia’s relations with its neighbours, particularly Malaysia and Singapore. Jakarta had repeatedly turned down their offers of firefighting assistance and faced criticism for public remarks perceived as downplaying the severity of the crisis.
As the issue becomes a growing diplomatic irritant across the region, ASEAN chair the Philippines has confirmed that transboundary haze will feature on the upcoming summit’s agenda.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Indonesian Foreign Ministry Director-General for ASEAN Cooperation Ina Krisnamurthi said Jakarta would push for the ratification of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control (ACC-THPC) at the talks.
She noted that a fully operational centre would be a “game changer” for regional efforts to tackle haze.
Mandated under the 2002 ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, the ACC-THPC is designed to coordinate member states’ efforts to monitor, prevent and respond to land and forest fires through information-sharing and emergency assistance.
However, only Vietnam has so far ratified the agreement to establish the centre, which requires ratification by at least six ASEAN nations to enter into force.
“What we need to do next is push for the immediate operationalisation of the centre, which, frankly, is also in our national interest, given that the centre is based in Indonesia,” Ina said.
Beyond the haze crisis, the Nov 15-17 summit in Manila will tackle several regional challenges, including the long-standing question of Myanmar’s return to political-level ASEAN meetings.
More than five years after Myanmar’s military coup, the bloc appears increasingly open to restoring the junta’s participation, amid concerns that prolonged exclusion has done little to curb regional instability.
The summit is also expected to address the long-delayed code of conduct for the highly disputed South China Sea, as uncertainty persists over whether China and ASEAN members can finalise the pact before the year-end deadline.
Against this backdrop, Arrmanatha met face-to-face with his Philippine counterpart, Theresa P. Lazaro, in Manila on Monday, stressing the two countries’ “commitment to regional peace and stability” and cooperation in addressing challenges in the region.
The Foreign Ministry said it was still awaiting confirmation of Prabowo’s attendance. - Jakarta Post/ANN
