Malaysia to hold crisis talks in RI over choking haze

Malaysia to hold crisis talks in RI over choking haze

Agencies Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia announced on Wednesday it would hold crisis talks with Indonesia over the choking haze caused by forest fires, mostly from Sumatra, which had reached hazardous levels in parts of the Malay peninsula.

"The Cabinet has instructed me to go to Jakarta to meet our counterparts to identify long-term and short-term measures to fight the haze. We will try to go as soon as possible," Environment Minister Adenan Satem announced during a press conference.

He showed satellite images of Riau and North Sumatra provinces on Sumatra island where hundreds of forest fires are raging, sending pollutants across the Strait of Malacca and onto Malaysia's central west coast.

"In Jakarta, we will discuss how we can help them," Adenan said.

In Port Klang, a major shipping center just west of the capital Kuala Lumpur, the air pollution index shot up to 410. Several other parts of the country recorded levels in excess of 300, which is considered officially "hazardous".

"If the API hits 500 we will declare it an emergency," he said. "The situation is not getting better, it's getting worse.

The minister also announced that the government had lifted an eight-year ban on releasing air pollution index (API) figures, a measure designed to protect tourism, which has been sharply criticized in Kuala Lumpur.

"The Cabinet has agreed that we will announce publicly the API figures throughout the country," he said.

Health Minister Chua Soi Lek said the crisis was already having an impact on health, with clinics reporting a 150 percent increase in asthma attacks, and higher rates of upper respiratory tract conditions and eye problems.

"If the API exceeds 400 we want the schools to close. The public should cut down all other activities. If they want to go out they should wear masks," he said.

"We want to be transparent, we will not hide anything. If it reaches 500 we will inform the public."

In Kuala Lumpur, office workers held handkerchiefs over their faces as they ventured outside. The tops of the Petronas Towers, once the world's tallest buildings, were almost invisible from the ground.

Several schools in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur scrapped classes and sent students home early, telling them to remain indoors. Education Minister Hishamuddin Hussein said schools could suspend classes at their discretion.

The haze currently wrapping tropical Kuala Lumpur resembled fog in a European city on a wintry morning, but its appearance belied the hot and humid conditions outdoors.

As visibility in the busy Strait of Malacca plummeted, The Star daily said a container ship ran aground.

"We have issued a warning for shipping activities in the Strait of Malacca. The warning is that the visibility is hazardous to ships without navigational equipment," said Meteorological Department official Wong Teck Kiong.

Visibility at Kuala Lumpur International Airport was 1 kilometer but no flights were affected.

Quake Kuan Hock of Northport, one of three port facilities at Port Klang, said visibility was down to 200 meters (660 feet), but operations were continuing despite the night-like conditions.

"We are still working, but at a slightly reduced pace," he said. "We are taking safety precautions in the sense that all the equipment has to put on headlights."

Noel Choong from the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre said the poor conditions were making it more difficult to ensure security in the piracy-prone Strait of Malacca.

"Normally, the crew do anti-piracy watches by walking around the ship. With these conditions it's not that simple. If you keep watch from the bridge, you may miss them if they come around the stern or another side," he said.

Indonesian officials warned on Wednesday that forest fires producing the haze would worsen in coming weeks.

Satellite images revealed more than 220 "hot spots" from forest fires and from fires set to clear land in West Kalimantan province (Indonesian Borneo) on Tuesday, said Kusnadi, head of the provincial forest fire team.

In 1997 and 1998, choking haze caused mainly by Indonesian forest fires enveloped parts of Southeast Asia including Malaysia for months, causing an estimated US$9.3 billion in economic losses to the region.