Rerun of Riau's 1997 fires possible: Official

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)