SE Asian ministers talk about haze

SE Asian ministers talk about haze

KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia (AFP): Southeast Asian environment ministers began talks Friday on ways to combat the choking haze which has blanketed parts of the region in recent years.

Indonesia recognizes the regional anger over the pollution and is prosecuting plantation companies which start most of the blazes to clear land, Jakarta's Environment Minister Sonny Keraf was quoted as saying before the meeting began.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adopted an action plan to douse the fires at the height of the pollution in late 1997. The haze returned to a lesser degree in 1998 and this year.

Keraf, in an interview with The Sun newspaper, pleaded for understanding and said Indonesia faced several constraints including a lack of firefighting equipment.