Sarawak stiffens fire penalties

Sarawak stiffens fire penalties

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Cracking down on the fires that fueled last
year's choking haze, Sarawak's state government has adopted
stiffer penalties against illegal burning of forests.

Under new regulations effective March 1, anyone caught
starting fires without permission from Sarawak's Natural
Resources and Environment Board can be punished with a fine of up
to 20,000 ringgit (US$5,000) and three years jail, the New
Straits Times reported yesterday.

Illegal burners of state-owned land face a fine of up to
30,000 ringgit. Previously, the maximum fine was 10,000 ringgit.

Sarawak, located on the Malaysian side of Borneo island, was
one of the areas hardest hit by last year's haze which blanketed
much of Southeast Asia and threatened the health of an estimated
70 million people.