Indonesia blames foreign firms for open burning
New Straits Times (7 July 2007)
By: Audrey Dermawan, Amy Hew See Yee and Sri Kuehnlenz
GEORGE TOWN: Indonesia is blaming foreign-based companies operating in Indonesia, including Malaysian ones, for the haze situation in the province and other neighbouring countries.
These companies were responsible for the spate of illegal logging and open burning activities, Indonesian Consul-General in Penang, Moenir Ari Soenanda, said yesterday.
He said checks revealed that none of the companies were Indonesian.
"But our government is seriously committed to solving the haze problem," he said after meeting a delegation from DAP at his office here.
The DAP handed over a three-page memorandum to Moenir, urging the Indonesian government to take immediate steps to tackle the haze situation which affected Malaysia every year.
Moenir said the Indonesian government had intensified discussion with other countries to find and implement concrete measures to tackle the haze problem.
"We are also in the process of ratifying the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution," he added.
The agreement signed by all Asean countries in Kuala Lumpur on June 10, 2002, came into force on Nov 25 the following year.
On the memorandum, Moenir said he would send it to Jakarta immediately.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the delegation, Ng Wei Aik, said this was the fifth year they had sent a memorandum of a similar nature to the Indonesian authorities.
He also called on the Indonesian government to provide details of Malaysian companies causing the haze to their Malaysian counterparts so that action could be taken against them, including blacklisting the companies.
Meanwhile, in Kuala Lumpur, the Department of Environment said the public could expect temporary relief from the haze this weekend as heavy rains are expected.
The department said each downpour wiould be able to reduce the haze for about 24 hours before it returns. Showers will be scattered across the country beginning today to Monday.
A department spokesman said that there had been little change in the haze conditions over the past two days, given the ongoing forest fires in Indonesia.
He added that the haze was strongest in northwestern states, like Perak, Penang, Perlis and Kedah.
Visibility, however, improved steadily with measurements ranging between 8km and 10km, the highest readings so far for the four states.
Meanwhile, visibility in Selangor continues to improve with the visibility measurements exceeding 10km yesterday as compared to between 8km and 10km on Thursday.
Of the 51 monitoring stations nationwide, 10 reported Air Pollutant Index (API) levels as "good" yesterday, while 41 returned "moderate" API readings.
Six of the "good" readings were in Sarawak and Sabah, while one was recorded in Malacca and on the east coast of the peninsula, two in Terengganu and one in Pahang.
The DOE classifies API readings of under 50 as "good", while readings between 51 and 100 are "moderate".
By: Audrey Dermawan, Amy Hew See Yee and Sri Kuehnlenz
GEORGE TOWN: Indonesia is blaming foreign-based companies operating in Indonesia, including Malaysian ones, for the haze situation in the province and other neighbouring countries.
These companies were responsible for the spate of illegal logging and open burning activities, Indonesian Consul-General in Penang, Moenir Ari Soenanda, said yesterday.
He said checks revealed that none of the companies were Indonesian.
"But our government is seriously committed to solving the haze problem," he said after meeting a delegation from DAP at his office here.
The DAP handed over a three-page memorandum to Moenir, urging the Indonesian government to take immediate steps to tackle the haze situation which affected Malaysia every year.
Moenir said the Indonesian government had intensified discussion with other countries to find and implement concrete measures to tackle the haze problem.
"We are also in the process of ratifying the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution," he added.
The agreement signed by all Asean countries in Kuala Lumpur on June 10, 2002, came into force on Nov 25 the following year.
On the memorandum, Moenir said he would send it to Jakarta immediately.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the delegation, Ng Wei Aik, said this was the fifth year they had sent a memorandum of a similar nature to the Indonesian authorities.
He also called on the Indonesian government to provide details of Malaysian companies causing the haze to their Malaysian counterparts so that action could be taken against them, including blacklisting the companies.
Meanwhile, in Kuala Lumpur, the Department of Environment said the public could expect temporary relief from the haze this weekend as heavy rains are expected.
The department said each downpour wiould be able to reduce the haze for about 24 hours before it returns. Showers will be scattered across the country beginning today to Monday.
A department spokesman said that there had been little change in the haze conditions over the past two days, given the ongoing forest fires in Indonesia.
He added that the haze was strongest in northwestern states, like Perak, Penang, Perlis and Kedah.
Visibility, however, improved steadily with measurements ranging between 8km and 10km, the highest readings so far for the four states.
Meanwhile, visibility in Selangor continues to improve with the visibility measurements exceeding 10km yesterday as compared to between 8km and 10km on Thursday.
Of the 51 monitoring stations nationwide, 10 reported Air Pollutant Index (API) levels as "good" yesterday, while 41 returned "moderate" API readings.
Six of the "good" readings were in Sarawak and Sabah, while one was recorded in Malacca and on the east coast of the peninsula, two in Terengganu and one in Pahang.
The DOE classifies API readings of under 50 as "good", while readings between 51 and 100 are "moderate".
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08:48
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