Singapore gives air quality monitor

DENPASAR, Bali: Singapore has donated an air quality monitoring machine (AQMM) to Bali's provincial government in an effort to help correct the impression among prospective foreign tourists that Bali was also affected by the smog generated by recent forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Antara reported that Huang Cheng Eng, marketing director of the Singaporean Airlines (SIA) office in Denpasar, presented the equipment to the administration on behalf of the Singaporean government.

Huang said here Tuesday the assistance was intended as a token of SIA's participation in the promotion of tourism in Bali.

He said because of the recent forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan there was a significant decrease in the number of foreign tourists visiting Indonesia during 1997 and 1998.

"Most prospective tourists thought that all parts of Southeast Asia, including Bali, were covered by the smog. The truth was that Bali was not affected at all," he said.