Malaysia's content with RI forest fire control

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)