Rerun of Riau's 1997 fires possible: Official

JAKARTA (JP): The disastrous forest fires of 1997 may return to Riau province without immediate and concerted preventative efforts, an official at the National Space and Aviation Agency warned on Monday.

Head of the agency's Environment and Weather Satellites' Earth Station Muchlisin Aries, said satellite imaging read by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration over the past few days, had shown the seriousness of the threat.

Up to 40 hot spots -- indications of clusters of fires spreading on the ground -- had been recorded in the province, he said.

"The number could drop if rain comes," Muchlisin said, adding however, that affected areas were entering the dry season.

Head of Riau's provincial Forest and Plantation office, Darminto S., could not be contacted for comment on the extent of efforts being made to contain the fires.

The Ministry of Forestry and Plantation's Director General for Forest Protection and Nature Preservation, Abdul Manan Siregar, could also not be reached.

Muchlisin said hot spots were also recorded in southern parts of Sumatra, in West and North Sumatra and in South and Central Kalimantan.

In 1997, over five million hectares of forest burned in Sumatra and Kalimantan. The fires were exacerbated by a prolonged drought.

Smog spread to neighboring Singapore and Malaysia, leading to health havoc in the region.

Officials from Malaysia and Indonesia will meet on Thursday in Malaysia's capital of Kuala Lumpur for a two-day forum on the regional haze problem, Associated Press reported on Monday.

Quoting the New Straits Times daily, the news agency said the talks would focus on how the two Southeast Asian nations could pool their resources to combat forest fires in Sumatra.

A top Malaysian government official was quoted as saying that both countries did not want a repeat of the thick haze which choked parts of the region over a year ago.

"Our firemen are ready to go at any time should Indonesia require our assistance," National Disaster Relief Committee Chairman Mohamed Rahmat was quoted as saying.

Singaporean experts said last week that forest fires in Indonesia had reached a dangerous level. More than 40 fires were blazing and large smoke plumes were blowing toward Singapore.

The haze has become an annual problem during the area's dry season, when plantation companies in Indonesia start fires as a cheap but illegal way to clear land. (aan)