Reports show Indonesia blaze started elsewhere, spread due to scorching weather
MELAKA: The fires in Indonesia which an environment group linked to 21 Malaysian companies did not start on their plantations, says Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad.
Citing reports from the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), she said they showed that the blaze had started elsewhere and spread because of the scorching weather.
“Based on the reports we received so far, the fire did not start on the plantation. It started elsewhere, but because the weather was extremely hot, it spread.
“And it was put out immediately,” she told reporters during the open day at Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka yesterday.
Noraini pointed out that all plantation companies were subject to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) standards, both of which prohibit open burning.
The MPOB, she said, would also carry out regular monitoring.
News reports emerged on Monday that environmental group Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (Walhi) has released its findings which claimed that 21 companies with connections to businesses with Malaysian ties had been involved in forest and land fires that erupted in the republic between January and September.
Forest fires in Indonesia’s Kalimantan region have raged on for over three months.
On Oct 5, Greenpeace claimed that plantation companies from Malaysia and Singapore were among the entities involved.
