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.