Malaysia's content with RI forest fire control

PEKANBARU, Riau (JP): Malaysia is satisfied with the precautions Indonesia has taken to prevent forest fires, a source of complaints in the past because of the smoke drifting over into its territory.

A senior official of the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment concluded a tour to check on the precautions taken by the Indonesian authorities with a thumbs up verdict.

"Indonesia is better prepared now, not only at the government level but also among the community," Tengku Bakry Shah bin Tengku Johan, the principal assistant director of the department of environment, said on Thursday. "Communities still need more education on land clearing methods without burning," he said.

Tengku Bakry was one of several officials from Malaysia and Singapore invited to tour Indonesia for the past week on a program called transboundary air pollution. The delegation visited East Kalimantan and Riau.

The program, organized by the Office of the State Minister of Environment, follows a June agreement among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to cooperate in the prevention and handling of forest fires.

Last year's fires from forests and land clearing activities in Kalimantan and Sumatra led to complaints of health hazards due to smoke affecting neighboring Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.

This year, Indonesia has set up a national land and forest fire management team under the coordination of the Minister of Environment and implemented by the Ministry of Forestry.

"We hope fires will not occur again, but if they do, we are better prepared," said Surna Djajadiningrat, assistant to the Minister of Environment in policy coordination, who escorted the guests during the tour. "However we do not have a mechanism at the ASEAN level yet; so far we do not know who will be in charge of transboundary pollution."

Surna said that for 1995, Indonesia may be spared major forest fires of the scale seen last year.

However, in anticipation of major forest fires in the future, there should be a regional "fire brigade", Surna said, adding that he hoped the issue would be raised during an ASEAN ministerial meeting on transboundary pollution in Singapore on Sept. 11 and 12.

Tengku Bakry told The Jakarta Post that a regional organization should be established that would detect forest fires early and determine the course of action.

"This 'focal point' would be (the reference) for an early warning and response plan, and would decide on the acceptance of assistance from outside countries," Tengku Bakry said.

An official of the Singapore Ministry of the Environment said his country will continue to provide Indonesia with satellite images taken by its meteorological office.

Such data could alert the authorities of any impending forest fires, Koh Kim Hock, a senior engineer at the Ministry's pollution control department, said.

"We are experienced in fires where the sources are clear, mainly industrial and street fires," he said.

Surna said that assistance from Malaysia can be expected in the sharing of experience in land clearing methods which do not involve burning.

The tour program, which aimed to expose delegates to the complexity of forest fires and various steps to prevent and handle them, also involved eleven reporters from Malaysia and Singapore.

The last day of the program in Riau covered a visit to an industrial timber plantation, PT Arara Abadi, which supplies raw material to PT Indah Kiat, a pulp and paper factory.

In line with a new regulation this year, the companies no longer burn their unused timber but process them into chips. (anr)