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  SciDev Net 11 Oct 06
Indonesia apologises as WHO warns on air pollution

Yahoo News 11 Oct 06
Indonesia apologises, calls meeting to tackle haze

Today Online 12 Oct 06
Sorry for the haze: SBY
Indonesia says it will host regional meeting to discuss ways to prevent future occurrences
Derrick A Paulo

Channel NewsAsia 11 Oct 06
Jakarta serious about putting a stop to annual forest fires, haze: minister
 By Channel NewsAsia's Indonesia Bureau Chief Sujadi Siswo

JAKARTA : Indonesia's Forestry Minister claims Jakarta is serious about putting a stop to the annual forest fires and haze.

The National Police has been ordered to investigate and prosecute the large plantations responsible, but the minister claims nature has hampered efforts to douse the fires.

Forest fires continue to rage in Indonesia's South Sumatra and Central Kalimantan. Started deliberately to clear the land for farming, the fires have blanketed neighbouring South-East Asian countries in haze.

Singapore and Malaysia have urged Indonesia to deal with the problem in a more effective manner.

M S Kaban, Indonesian Forestry Minister, said, "We want to stress that the government is serious (about) preventing excessive haze from occurring. But here, nature also plays its part which makes it difficult for us to manage. The typhoon in the Philippines caused strong dry winds to sweep into Indonesia. In 24 hours, hotspots rose by 200 percent."

Indonesian authorities admit large plantations resort to indiscriminate slash-and-burn methods to clear or rejuvenate the land.

M S Kaban said, "Usually we can manage the haze better if there's no clearing of large plantations. But a huge plantation is opening in Kalimantan. Some of them have resorted to paying poor residents to burn their land. The Indonesian government has asked the National Police to investigate these companies and bring them to court."

But enforcement has not deterred the large plantations. Since 2001, of the 11 cases brought against plantation firms for burning their land, only four made it to court.

This is because Indonesian law requires evidence to prove that someone actually starts the fire - which is almost impossible in the middle of a huge forest.

Instead environmental groups in Indonesia have been pushing authorities to hold firms responsible for their plantations. Environmental group Walhi, which has some 40 groups under its wing, claims to have evidence that 23 companies in South Sumatra and Kalimantan have deliberately set fire to their land.

Rully Syumanda, Indonesia Environmental Group, said, "We want the National Police to take these 23 firms seriously. We will monitor the police investigation and will censure them if they drag their feet. We are tired. Every year Walhi monitors the fires but nothing has changed. We called for the law to be amended in 2003 but they refused to listen. As a result we face (the) problem of haze."

Groups like Walhi want plantation owners to be fined if their land catches fire, even if they are not caught in the act. - CNA/ms

Today Online 12 Oct 06
Sorry for the haze: SBY
Indonesia says it will host regional meeting to discuss ways to prevent future occurrences
Derrick A Paulo derrick@mediacorp.com.sg

FOLLOWING complaints from Singapore and Malaysia, including a letter yesterday from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to his Indonesian counterpart to "express his disappointment over the recurring haze problem", the Indonesian President has apologised for the smoke choking the region.

Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told reporters yesterday: "On behalf of the Indonesian government, I have to apologise to the neighbouring countries for this incident, even though clearly this is not an intentional (act) by Indonesia."

"Clearly, this is not a problem we intend to inflict on our neighbours and we are continuously trying to tackle it and prevent it in future."

The apology, issued at a press briefing at his Jakarta office, came after Mr Lee wrote to Dr Yudhoyono to express his disappointment, noting the haze is "particularly serious" this year.

Singapore's Prime Minister added that "while it may be too late this year to prevent the fires that cause the haze, it was critical to take action now in order to prevent future forest fires", said Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

The 24-hour PSI reading yesterday was in the moderate range at 71--up from 59 a day earlier, and higher than for any day in September. At 10 last night, the three-hour PSI reading was 81.

Indonesia, Mr Lee stated, needed to deal with the problem in a "timely and effective manner" so that investor confidence in the country, its international standing and Asean's (Association of South-east Asian Nations) credibility would not be affected.

Dr Yudhoyono promised yesterday to punish the culprits. "Plantation firms are still violating the law in reopening their fields by setting fire ... known to us as illegal land clearing. This is clearly a crime that must be punished," he was quoted as saying by AFP.

On Monday, the MFA had conveyed Singapore's concerns about the haze in a note to the Indonesian Embassy here.

In response to the complaints, and to those from Malaysia, too, Indonesia will call an emergency meeting of regional ministers.

Dr Yudhoyono has instructed his foreign minister, Mr Hassan Wirajuda, to organise the meeting. AFP quoted Mr Wirajuda yesterday as saying: "The President has instructed us to take the initiative on the meeting with the four Asean member countries that have been seriously impacted by the haze."

Singapore's Ministry of Environment and Water Resources had issued a statement a day earlier announcing that its minister, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, was inviting his counterparts from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, to discuss "urgent and long-term measures" tomorrow to tackle the problem.

The meeting is intended to "muster Asean's resources to help Indonesia cope with the present haze problem", the MFA said in its press statement yesterday.

The meeting looks likely to go ahead this week, in Indonesia and not in Singapore.

In response to media queries, an MFA spokesman said that Singapore was "happy to agree to shift the meeting to Indonesia", and added: "As the forest fires are on Indonesian territories, this is a more appropriate venue." No location has been set for the meeting, though. Mr Wirajuda has proposed that it be held in Pekanbaru, the provincial capital of the Riau province in eastern Sumatra, or another Indonesian city affected by the haze, reported AFP.

In his letter to Dr Yudhoyono, Mr Lee said the meeting could help prepare for an international gathering, which Indonesia could convene "to marshal the expertise and resources needed to help Indonesia and Asean tackle the haze problem effectively".

Indonesia has claimed that the number of illegal fires in its forests and on its crop land has been drastically cut in recent days.

Malaysia's Natural Resources and Environment Minister Azmi Khalid is not convinced, though. "When you see the haze now, the conclusion can only be made that whatever mechanisms they have are not effective," he told AFP after its Air Pollutant Index in Kuala Lumpur hit 159 on Monday. It was 69 last evening.

MFA's response to media queries on the emergency meeting "We are delighted that Indonesia has heeded calls from the region to take urgent action to deal with this serious problem. We commend Indonesia for taking responsibility and agreeing to convene this meeting. Singapore was happy to agree to shift the meeting to Indonesia. As the forest fires are on Indonesian territories, this is a more appropriate venue. The purpose of the meeting is to see how Singapore and other affected countries can help Indonesia prevent a recurrence of the problem in the future and take immediate action to mitigate the fires that are currently causing the haze. This will take not just a regional but international effort."

Yahoo News 11 Oct 06
Indonesia apologises, calls meeting to tackle haze

JAKARTA (AFP) - Indonesia has apologized to Singapore and Malaysia for the choking haze over both countries and agreed to convene a meeting of regional environment ministers to tackle the problem.

Anger had been growing in Malaysia and Singapore over the choking haze from fires raging in Sumatra and Kalimantan in Indonesia, which every year drift over parts of Southeast Asia -- damaging health and and disrupting transport and tourism.

"On behalf of the Indonesian government, I have to apologize to the neighbouring countriese for this incident even though clearly this is not an intentional (act) by Indonesia," said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

"Clearly, this is not a problem we intend to inflict to our neighbours and we are continuously trying to tackle it and prevent it in future," Yudhoyono told a press briefing at his office in Jakarta.

Singapore's foreign ministry earlier Wednesday said that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had written to Yudhoyono to "express his disappointment" over the choking smoke.

Lee's comments followed criticism Tuesday from Malaysia's Natural Resources and Environment Minister Azmi Khalid, whose country has also suffered unhealthy air quality levels because of the haze.

Singapore on Wednesday invited environment ministers from affected nations Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei to a meeting on Friday to discuss "urgent" measures to deal with the problem.

But Indonesia's Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda insisted the meeting should be held in his country, possibly in Pekanbaru city on Sumatra island's Riau province, near Singapore. "We want the meeting to be held nearer to the where the problem is being handled," he told reporters in Jakarta.

Wirayuda did not say when the meeting in Sumatra would take place, but his comments were greeted with immediate satisfaction by Singapore. "We are delighted that Indonesia has heeded calls from the region to take urgent action to deal with this serious problem," said a statement from the the island state's foreign ministry.

"We commend Indonesia for taking responsibility and agreeing to convene this meeting. Singapore was happy to agree to shift the meeting to Indonesia."

Affected countries attending the meeting could help Indonesia "prevent a recurrence of the problem in the future and take immediate action to mitigate the fires" causing the haze,

Singapore's foreign ministry said. Large corporations clearing forests for palm or timber plantations and small farmers using slash-and-burn methods have been blamed for the annual burn-off that causes the haze.

Yudhoyono vowed to punish the culprits. "Plantation firms are still violating the law in reopening their fields by setting fire ... or known to us as illegal land clearing. This is clearly a crime that must be punished," he said.

On Saturday, Singapore's environment agency issued a health advisory because of the fog-like haze. Earlier this week Malaysia issued a hazard warning for ships in the Malacca Strait that split it from Singapore after haze caused visibility to drop along the vital waterway.

In Kuala Lumpur, the Air Pollutant Index hit an unhealthy reading of 159 Monday, forcing people to wear face masks.

SciDev Net 11 Oct 06
Indonesia apologises as WHO warns on air pollution

Indonesia's president apologised today for the thick smoke covering parts of neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore--just days after the World Health Organization warned that air pollution must be cut to protect human health.

Politicians in Malaysia and Singapore had been calling on Indonesia to tackle the forest fires that are causing the haze.

Over the past two weeks there were up to 500 fires a day in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, says a report released yesterday (10 October) by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. In the provincial capital Pontianak the air pollution index reached 913. An index of 101-200 is considered 'unhealthy' while 300-550 is 'dangerous'.

On 5 October the World Health Organization (WHO) tightened its guidelines on safe levels of air pollution, setting new standards that many developing countries--particularly in Asia-- will struggle to meet.

The recommended maximum level for particles suspended in the air, which are mainly produced by burning fossil fuels, is now 20 micrograms per cubic metre. This is one-tenth the amount measured in Beijing, Cairo, Karachi, Kathmandu, Lima and New Delhi, and considerably less than the previous guideline of 70 micrograms.

But the WHO says that achieving this level could reduce the number of premature deaths due to respiratory infections, heart disease and lung cancer by 15 per cent.

Malaysia's health minister warned this week that the Indonesian fires were threatening human health and the economy in Malaysia.

According to the Associated Foreign Press, Malaysia's foreign minister urged South-East Asian nations to formulate a plan of action rather than merely sign agreements that achieve little.

Indonesia is the only member of the Association of South East Asian Nations not to have signed the association's agreement on haze pollution that crosses borders.

Its president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has now offered to host a regional meeting to tackle forest fires in the country, reports Bloomberg.com.

The WHO air pollution guidelines also substantially lower the recommended limits for ozone and sulphur dioxide.

According the WHO, more than two million premature deaths each year can be attributed to the effects of urban outdoor air pollution and indoor air pollution. More than half of this disease burden is borne by the populations of developing countries.
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