Indonesia reiterates thick haze apology

Indonesia reiterates thick haze apology

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto has apologized again to
neighboring countries affected by haze and smoke caused by
Indonesian brush and forest fires.

The country pledged to continue exploring every avenue to
fight the fires, Soeharto said, ordering Armed Forces members at
all levels to step up efforts to deal with the disaster.

In a speech yesterday during the Armed Forces (ABRI) 52nd
anniversary celebration, Soeharto said that the fires' thick smog
had adversely affected not only Indonesians, but people in
neighboring countries.

"For that reason Indonesia once again sincerely asks for
forgiveness," the president said.

The Indonesian government officially apologized last month,
during the opening of the seventh ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on
Environment, to its Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) neighbors for
the choking haze caused by fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan
forests.

Thick smoke from fires raging across 300,000 hectares of
forest has been hanging over Malaysia and Singapore during the
past two months. At one stage it also reached the Philippines and
Thailand.

Approximately 30,000 people in Sumatra and Kalimantan, plus
tens of thousands in Malaysia and Singapore, have reportedly been
suffering from respiratory illnesses and eye irritations.

Soeharto said the haze was a natural disaster of unprecedented
scale facing Indonesia. He blamed the disaster partly on the
scorching dry season, which came too early, and the late arrival
of wet season.

"Haze has interrupted sea, land and air transportation. It has
caused price hikes of daily needs in some parts of the country
and food scarcity in remote areas," he said.

Last week, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Azwar
Anas, who also chairs the National Disaster Management
Coordinating Agency, blamed the fires on the El Nino phenomenon.

Soeharto said concerted efforts to combat the fires by people,
the government and the Armed Forces had started to show results,
although it would take more time to completely control the fires.

"I instruct Armed Forces members at all levels to increase the
mobilization of their abilities to overcome this fire disaster,"
the President said.

On Saturday, deputy chairman of the Environmental Impact
Management Agency, Soekardi, said satellite remote sensing had
revealed declining fire spots. He said some airports officials
had reported improved visibility.

The agency's data from Sept. 23 to Oct. 2 showed nine hot
spots remaining in Jambi, 36 in North Sumatra, five in Lampung,
six in Central Java, five in East Java, seven in West Kalimantan,
22 in Central Kalimantan, six in South Kalimantan and one in
South Sulawesi.

"But the problems caused by the forest fires have yet to end,
because thick haze still hangs over various provinces," Soekardi
was quoted by Antara.

He said South Kalimantan, Jambi, Bengkulu, West Sumatra and
South Kalimantan were the areas suffering the most from the thick
haze.

Public efforts to help people affected by the haze went on
over the weekend, Antara reported.

On Saturday, the Indonesian Environmental Forum sent 5,000
masks to kindergarten and elementary school pupils in Pangkalan
Bun, South Kalimantan.

In Bangka, South Sumatra, state-owned tin mining company PT
Timah distributed 2,000 masks to Pangkalpinang residents.

PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia, and state-owned oil company
Pertamina, joined the relief actions by handing over 500,000
masks to Riau's provincial administration.

Also on Saturday, a group of volunteers calling themselves the
People's Post Command for Fire Combat arrived in Tanjung Puting
forest in Central Kalimantan to distribute masks, food, medical
supplies and water they had collected from the public.

Those who wish to donate or want to join the mission can
contact the group at Jl. Teluk Jakarta 1 in the TNI-AL housing
complex, Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta. The post's phone number is
7821877, fax number 7804158, and e-mail konphal@rad.net.id.

While fire fighting continues, the government took punitive
measures against companies allegedly responsible for starting the
fires.

On Friday, it revoked the licenses 151 companies for violating
laws against burning forests to clear land. (prb/amd)