ASEAN ready to douse fires

ASEAN ready to douse fires

MANILA (Reuter): The Association of South East Asian Nations
(ASEAN) is ready to act fast if Indonesia asks for help to fight
fires blazing on the island of Kalimantan, Philippine officials
said yesterday.

"No doubt about that. This speaks of ASEAN brotherhood ... It
is a goal of ASEAN to respond to all types of emergencies for the
good of everyone in the region," Department of Foreign Affairs
spokeswoman Cora Patarata told Reuters.

"You can be assured that the action will be immediate."

Indonesian officials said Wednesday that brush fires continued
to burn on the Indonesian part of Borneo with nearly 200 "hot
spots" reported in east Kalimantan province.

The resurgence of the fires has raised fears of a possible
repeat of the smog that blanketed wide parts of Southeast Asia
last year, also sparked by Indonesian forest fires.