Pontianak's fog or smoke?

It is unfortunate that the "Literacy Day Commemoration" (Jakarta Post Sept. 22, 1994) was canceled due to "fog" at the airport in Pontianak. The attendees missed an opportunity to see a weather phenomena unknown to the rest of the world.

Fog is a common condition resulting from the ambient temperature decreasing until the moisture in the air condenses into tiny droplets. It is in fact, a cloud of visible water vapor in contact with the surface of the earth. In nature, this condensation does not occur at sea level at temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius. It will be a "cold day in hell" as they saying goes, when Pontianak sees 20 degrees Centigrade.

It is more likely that their visibility was obscured by dense smoke arising from the annual fires devastating the jungle nearby. These huge forest fires, that would be front page news elsewhere in the world, go largely unreported and with no attempt to contain them.

In any given year, far more timber is destroyed in these fires than all the lumber produced in the country. The terrible waste is so saddening.

But just to "clear the smoke" from the story: Smoke is not Fog! Be a little more literal with the Queen's English, if you please.

Name and address withheld