PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and Indonesia have started exploring ways of tackling forest fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra that have caused transboundary haze.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (pic) said the discussions involved relevant agencies and ministries from both countries, including the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) and the National Security Council (MKN).
“Our secretary-general (Tan Sri Amran Mohamed Zin) has held discussions with MKN, Nadma and the Indonesian side on how we can jointly address these fires. This is the latest development.
“The form of cooperation will depend on the outcome of the discussions, but the authorities of both countries have, for the first time, begun talks on how we can work together to tackle the haze, which appears to be getting worse,” he said.
He was speaking to reporters at the handover ceremony for a solar photovoltaic (grid-connected PV) system installation project by the Works Ministry to the Foreign Ministry and three other government premises here yesterday, Bernama reported.
Mohamad said the discussions marked an initial step by both countries towards finding ways to cooperate in addressing forest fires and the haze, which had persisted for nearly two months.
He said the prolonged haze had affected not only Malaysia but also threatened the health of people in Indonesia and Singapore.
On Monday, Mohamad had reportedly said that Malaysia would raise the issue of transboundary haze at the Asean Foreign Ministers’ meeting ahead of the bloc’s 49th Summit in Manila next month, to discuss more effective regional mechanisms to tackle the problem.
