Riau authorities fed up with continuing forest fires
PEKANBARU, Riau (JP): The Riau provincial administration is demanding that Minister of Forestry and Plantations Nurmahmudi Ismail revoke for good operating permits of errant companies holding forest concession which have caused fires.
Most of the haze now afflicting the province is a result of fires set by the companies, deputy Riau governor Rustam S. Abrus said here on Wednesday.
He made the statements after a meeting with officials of the Forest Fire Control Center, non-governmental organizations, journalists and Law and Order Team members.
"We want the minister to revoke the companies' permits. It is the minister who has the right to give such administrative punishment, and he has given his word for that," Abrus was quoted by Antara news agency as saying.
Forest concession holders have long been blamed for their habit of clearing new reforestation areas by burning.
The forest fires have evoked catastrophe not only for Indonesians, but also those living in neighboring countries, including Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
Protests have been launched by the people there, but the Indonesian government still has not found an appropriate formula to stop the annual forest fire problem that causes serious air pollution.
"If the minister fails to take prompt and appropriate steps, the companies will continue to operate and the haze problems will linger," Abrus said.
He said he hoped that the minister would summon the companies' owners, and that the governor, regents and mayors would summon the companies' on-site officials in their jurisdictions.
According to the head of the Forestry Ministry's provincial office in Riau, Darminto Soetono, in the period July 1 to July 14 there were 340 fires in 71 areas belonging to forestry and plantation firms, and locals.
"Until July 14, we have sent first written warnings to six companies for their ignorance, and a second warning to one company," he said.
He said that 16 fire-related cases have been legally processed in court in the 1997-98 period, while in 1999 three people were punished for causing forest fires.
"This year six cases are being processed for legal proceedings for similar offenses," Darminto said.
Region
Meanwhile, Reuters reported on Wednesday that thin smog from Indonesia hit southern Thailand.
In the first reports of smoke and haze in almost three years, the Thai meteorological office said air quality and visibility had deteriorated in the southern provinces of Songkhla, Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani over the last week.
Airborne particulate matter of less than 10 microns was measured in the southern town of Hat Yai on Tuesday at 65 micrograms per cubic meter, a level considered safe, an official at the local health department said.
"It would be considered harmful if it exceeded 120 micrograms per cubic meter," the official said.
Reports from Kuala Lumpur said that smog over northern Malaysia caused by forest fires in Indonesia abated on Wednesday, leaving just one area registering unhealthy levels of air quality.
Three northern states, including the resort island of Penang, have been swathed in smoke since Friday. But on Wednesday they reported that air quality levels were no longer unhealthy, environmental officials said. "As of today, Taiping is the only place in the peninsula which is declared unhealthy," said an official at the department of environment in Kuala Lumpur.
Officials from the Olympic Council of Asia are visiting Malaysia to consider its bid to host the 2006 Asian Games and government officials said they privately feared the smog could ruin Malaysia's chances.
Officials in the northern state of Kedah said the air quality had improved to "moderate" from "unhealthy."
A reading between zero and 50 is considered to be "good", 51 to 100 is "moderate" and above 100 is considered unhealthy.
Malaysia's Environment Minister Law Hieng Deng said on Tuesday he had told his Indonesian counterpart that Malaysia was concerned about the smog. (sur)