Sumatra haze reaches Malaysia, Thailand

The Jakarta Post, 31 July 2006:

Sumatra haze reaches Malaysia, Thailand

Tb. Arie Rukmantara, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Haze from forest fires blanketing much of Sumatra has started to

spill over into neighboring countries, posing a health risk and

disrupting flights both at home and abroad, local officials said

Sunday.

Over 130 fire "hot spots" have been detected in Riau province in the

last few days, affecting some 3,000 hectares of land, including one

protected forest.

"Forest fires have occurred in Riau and North Sumatra, which is an

annual occurrence," Nursiwan Taqwim, head of the Sumatra Regional

Center for Environmental Management, told The Jakarta Post.

Haze has blanketed the Riau capital of Pekanbaru and parts of

neighboring North Sumatra and Jambi provinces, forcing thousands to

wear masks and postpone air travel.

"I actually don't like to wear a mask but I have no choice because I

don't want to risk respiratory problems," Umar, a Pekanbaru resident,

told a local newspaper.

Malaysia's meteorological authority said haze had reduced visibility

and contaminated air in Port Klang, Penang and Perak -- all on the

Malay Peninsula -- as well as parts of southern Thailand. Thai health

authorities have warned people in southern Thailand to stay indoors

to avoid the health-threatening haze.

Indonesian Forestry Minister M.S. Kaban said in a radio interview

Sunday that not all of the haze affecting neighboring countries came

from Indonesia. "Malaysia also has hot spots, so it would be unfair

to blame it solely on us," he said.

The Health Ministry's director for environmental health, Wan Alkadri,

told the Post the forest fires released highly dangerous pollutants

into the air, which could cause breathing problems and cancer.

Motorists in Pekanbaru have been forced to turn on their vehicles'

lights during the day because visibility is only 50 meters.

Nursiwan said most of the fires were in Pelawan, Rokan Hilir and

Rokan Hulu regencies. These include fires in the protected forest

around Mt. Mahato.

"Most of the blazes were started by local residents converting forest

into plantations," he said.

The Forestry Ministry's director for forest fire control, Tri Wibowo,

said with the help of about 300 forest firefighters and hundreds of

local volunteers, the haze could be stopped in the next two weeks.

He said to prevent a repeat of the annual haze, his office would step

up efforts to improve farmers' environmental awareness.

"All of the forest fires here have been started by residents. So the

key is to get farmers, as well as plantation and logging companies,

not to convert land using fire," he said.

Riau Police have questioned one district head and two village chiefs

for failing to prevent forest fires in their areas of jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, environmental group Greenomics Indonesia has urged the

government to stop issuing licenses to convert forests, saying this

only contributes to the annual fires.

A lawmaker from the House of Representatives' Commission VII for the

environment, Ahmad Farial, said the legislature would consider

ratifying the ASEAN Trans-Boundary Haze Pollution agreement, with the

support of regional administrations, particularly those in regions

prone to forest fires.

"If we ratify the agreement, Indonesia will get support from ASEAN

governments to combat forest fires," he told Antara.