Indonesia, neighbors to discuss forest fire problem

Indonesia, neighbors to discuss forest fire problem

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Forestry and Plantations Muslimin
Nasution said on Wednesday Indonesia would soon hold a bilateral
meeting with Malaysia and Brunei to discuss the forest fire
problem.

Muslimin said the meeting would be held ahead of the
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) environment
ministers' meeting scheduled to be held in Singapore later this
month.

He said he hoped the meeting would ease concerns over a
possible repeat of thick smoke which blanketed the region because
of the 1997 forest fires.

"The government will explain its actions to combat the fires
and request input from the two countries for further action," he
said.

Muslimin said his office had detected that hot spots had
spread to all 12 provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan in
Wednesday, from five provinces in the previous week.

"As of this week, forest fires have ravaged over 3,601
hectares of forest and plantation areas in Sumatra and
Kalimantan."

He blamed the forest and land fires on plantation owners and
small farmers starting fires to clear land.

"Most of the hot spots were detected in plantation areas, and
areas located near human settlements indicated that the fires
were started by plantation firms and nomadic farmers."

Haze from the fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan covered most of
the region in 1997, causing serious health and transport hazards,
and recurred in 1998, but to a lesser extent.

The government is under mounting pressure for its perceived
attitude of indifference to combating the fires.

AFP reported on Wednesday that the oil-rich kingdom of Brunei
had threatened to bring a suit against Indonesia to the
International Court of Justice if prompt action was not taken to
address the problem.

The official weather service in Bandar Seri Begawan said haze
from Malaysian and Indonesian forest fires had wafted across the
border, blanketing skies over Brunei and the ongoing Southeast
Asian Games.

ASEAN environment ministers are scheduled to meet in Singapore
later this month to discuss progress on an action plan to combat
mostly Indonesian forest fires which have caused haze to reappear
in the region.

The ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) last met in July in Kuala Lumpur, where Indonesia
announced it would launch an immediate action plan to prevent
fires during the dry season. The ministers also met in Bandar
Seri Begawan in April.

President B.J. Habibie on Monday called for action to halt
Indonesia's forest fires.

But environment activists dismissed his call as too late.

Meanwhile, a local shipping company and police blamed the
thick haze from forest and brush fires in Sumatra on a collision
between an oil tanker and barge on Tuesday that left 10 dead.

Thick haze has reportedly blanketed the Riau and Jambi
provinces in Sumatra and West and Central Kalimantan.

The Indonesian Forum for Environment (Walhi) has warned that
this year's forest fires could be worse than those of 1997 due to
the longer than expected and hotter dry season.

Nevertheless, Muslimin said his office was optimistic the
current forest fires and haze resulting from the fires would not
be as devastating as the 1997 fires.

He added that the ministry would immediately revoke licenses
to forest concessionaires and plantation companies found
responsible for the fires. (gis)