Smoke haze response is overdue<\/p>\n
The World Wide Fund for Nature describes the Indonesian forest
\nfires that are sending a thick and deadly smoke haze over much of
\nSoutheast Asia as a planetary disaster. At the very least, the
\nsituation is a tragedy for many thousands of people in Indonesia,
\nMalaysia, Brunei and Singapore affected by dangerously high air
\npollution levels, and a matter of grave concern to Indonesia's
\nneighbors.<\/p>\n
The causes of the fires have been well canvassed; in
\nrelatively small part, they stem from the traditional slash-and-
\nburn cultivation practiced by many thousands of Indonesian
\nfarmers. In addition, some fires have ignited naturally in the
\nvast peat beds of Kalimantan, source of similarly disastrous
\nfires in 1982 that burned for two years. The long dry season,
\nexacerbated by effects of El Nino, has added to the problem.<\/p>\n
But by far the overwhelming cause of the smoke haze is the
\nburning of thousands of hectares of forest and scrub by logging
\ninterests and palm oil plantation companies. Their wholesale
\nland-clearing operations lie at the heart of the huge pollution
\nproblem which confronts Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Aside from a stringent clampdown on large-scale burnings by
\nloggers and plantations, there is much that can be done to limit
\nrecurrence of the smoke haze. Through rural extension programs,
\nsmall landowners should be encouraged to seek alternatives to
\nslash-and-burn cultivation.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's national firefighting services should be upgraded
\n-- possibly with technical assistance from Australia, Japan and
\nother interested parties -- and the use of satellites for early
\ndetection of natural forest fires should be integrated into
\nfirefighting procedures.<\/p>\n
Most importantly, there needs to be a recognition by the
\nIndonesian authorities that this is an environmental problem with
\nconsequences beyond its borders. With the first monsoon rains
\nexpected early next month, there may be a tendency to think
\nnature will save the day. But in the long-term, complacency is
\nnot an environmentally sustainable response.<\/p>\n
-- The Australian<\/p>\n
;JP;HPR;
\nANPAk..r..
\nOtheropinion-Thailand-Politics
\nThailand faces up to lasting question
\nJP\/4\/OTHER2<\/p>\n
Thailand faces up to lasting question<\/p>\n
A perennial question asked by Thais of visitors to their
\ncountry has been: \"How long do you think all this will last?\"<\/p>\n
\"All this\" has encompassed corruption, an unstable government
\nand a spiraling economic crisis.<\/p>\n
The symptoms of the Thai malaise also include large current-
\naccount deficits, a banking sector that has lent too much money
\nto property developers, a currency linked more or less tightly to
\nthe U.S. dollar and, partly as a consequence, a tailing off of
\nexport growth last year when the dollar was strong.<\/p>\n
Thai Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh's alleged financial
\nmismanagement was the subject last week of a no-confidence
\nmotion. He was accused of bankrupting the country and leaking
\ninformation to political allies about the devaluation of the
\nnational currency, the baht.<\/p>\n
The prime minister survived the vote. But his critics are
\nstill calling for a national nonpartisan government led by
\nsomeone other than Chavalit. It is generally agreed that a major
\ncabinet reshuffle is on the cards. And it is hoped this will
\ninject more nonpartisan professionals into the cabinet.<\/p>\n
Observers have pointed out that delaying this move might lead
\nto a further plunge in public confidence in the administration at
\na time when it is presiding over the country's worst economic
\ncrisis in recent memory. It is also hoped that the new Thai
\nconstitution, which sailed through parliament on Saturday, will
\nsucceed in rooting out the influence of money in politics and
\ncreate a more capable and stable government. Through deft
\npolitical maneuvering, Chavalit succeeded in making passage of
\nthe constitution dependent on his being able to remain in office
\nfor another nine months.<\/p>\n
Optimists still hope that the new charter will put the country
\non the right path to good governance. Thailand deserves to have
\nsome good news at last.<\/p>\n
-- The Hong Kong Standard<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/smoke-haze-response-is-overdue-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }