PETALING JAYA: Malaysia remains ready to deploy firefighting assets to Indonesia to help tackle forest fires contributing to the regional haze, says Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil.
The Communications Minister said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had reiterated the offer during Friday's (Oct 23) Cabinet meeting, while expressing appreciation for the strong diplomatic ties between both countries.
"The offer still stands. Malaysia remains ready to provide assets if they are needed," he told a press conference.
However, Fahmi said Malaysia had yet to receive a full response from Indonesia on the type of assistance it was prepared to accept.
He said both the Foreign Ministry and the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry were still awaiting further details from the Indonesian authorities.
Meanwhile, Fahmi said no Malaysian companies had been identified as being involved in forest burning activities in Indonesia so far.
He said the Cabinet had been informed that Indonesian authorities had taken action against 11 companies, following an announcement earlier on Friday.
"However, so far, no Malaysian companies were found to be involved in forest burning activities in Indonesia," he said.
Fahmi added that Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup had also briefed the Cabinet on several developments concerning the haze situation.
