Malaysia and Singapore urge RI to put out forest fires

Malaysia and Singapore urge RI to put out forest fires

KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Malaysia and Singapore urged
Indonesia yesterday to take immediate steps to douse a new wave
of fires raging through East Kalimantan.

"We hope that the Indonesia authorities will take immediate
legal action regarding the fires caused by the opening up of
forests and by the El Nino weather phenomenon," Information
Minister Mohamed Rahmat was quoted by Bernama news agency as
saying.

Mohamed, who is also chairman of a national disaster and
relief committee, said a Malaysia-Indonesia joint committee
formed recently may hold its first meeting in Jakarta soon.

On whether Malaysia plans to send a team to help put out the
Indonesia fires, he said: "We see the situation first. For now,
we ask Indonesia to take strict measures to put them out."

Meanwhile, the Sunday Times of Singapore said in an editorial
that Indonesia must persist in fighting forest fires, despite its
economic troubles, to prevent a repeat of the choking smog which
blanketed much of Southeast Asia last year.

"Indonesia must fight the problem with the support of its
ASEAN allies," it said.

A regional plan Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
countries agreed to develop to combat smog must be implemented
quickly, the pro-government newspaper said.

"Nothing that Indonesia and the other countries face in
economic travails must detract from that plan. ASEAN in fact
needs to step up the time-table to develop a fire-fighting
capacity," the paper said.

On Thursday, ASEAN revealed action plans to fight the smog
would be ready by mid-1998.

The usually reticent Singapore press has hit out after reports
that Indonesia might not be able to tackle the fires due to its
economic problems.

It warned Singaporeans to brace themselves for more haze that
last year spread from Indonesia's bush and forest fires, many
deliberately lit in land-clearing by timber companies.

The smog problem has resurfaced after fires broke out in
Sumatra and Kalimantan earlier this month.