Lesson for ASEAN

Lesson for ASEAN

Raging forest fires in Indonesia, many set by plantation firms
clearing land, have cast a pall of haze over much of peninsular
Malaysia and Singapore.

ASEAN's environment ministers have long paid lip service to
the notion of regional cooperation. In January, the ministers
gathered in Phuket and released a statement which "expressed
their appreciation of Indonesia's efforts on the issue of haze
pollution".

The haze has been occurring for years, so why wasn't action
taken earlier? Because even within most ASEAN countries -- much
less between them -- polluters are still not held accountable for
their actions.

Environmental problems are allowed to fester until a crisis
occurs. Only then do leaders muster the courage to bang some
heads together and implement stopgap measures.

These delays make problems even more serious, increasing harm
to people and the environment and raising the cost of finding a
solution.

In this case, the drought brought on by El Nino has stoked the
forest fires, making the haze worse than ever. Perhaps this time,
ASEAN will learn its lesson.

-- The Nation, Bangkok