Smoke haze response is overdue
Smoke haze response is overdue
The World Wide Fund for Nature describes the Indonesian forest
fires that are sending a thick and deadly smoke haze over much of
Southeast Asia as a planetary disaster. At the very least, the
situation is a tragedy for many thousands of people in Indonesia,
Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore affected by dangerously high air
pollution levels, and a matter of grave concern to Indonesia's
neighbors.
The causes of the fires have been well canvassed; in
relatively small part, they stem from the traditional slash-and-
burn cultivation practiced by many thousands of Indonesian
farmers. In addition, some fires have ignited naturally in the
vast peat beds of Kalimantan, source of similarly disastrous
fires in 1982 that burned for two years. The long dry season,
exacerbated by effects of El Nino, has added to the problem.
But by far the overwhelming cause of the smoke haze is the
burning of thousands of hectares of forest and scrub by logging
interests and palm oil plantation companies. Their wholesale
land-clearing operations lie at the heart of the huge pollution
problem which confronts Indonesia.
Aside from a stringent clampdown on large-scale burnings by
loggers and plantations, there is much that can be done to limit
recurrence of the smoke haze. Through rural extension programs,
small landowners should be encouraged to seek alternatives to
slash-and-burn cultivation.
Indonesia's national firefighting services should be upgraded
-- possibly with technical assistance from Australia, Japan and
other interested parties -- and the use of satellites for early
detection of natural forest fires should be integrated into
firefighting procedures.
Most importantly, there needs to be a recognition by the
Indonesian authorities that this is an environmental problem with
consequences beyond its borders. With the first monsoon rains
expected early next month, there may be a tendency to think
nature will save the day. But in the long-term, complacency is
not an environmentally sustainable response.
-- The Australian
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Otheropinion-Thailand-Politics
Thailand faces up to lasting question
JP/4/OTHER2
Thailand faces up to lasting question
A perennial question asked by Thais of visitors to their
country has been: "How long do you think all this will last?"
"All this" has encompassed corruption, an unstable government
and a spiraling economic crisis.
The symptoms of the Thai malaise also include large current-
account deficits, a banking sector that has lent too much money
to property developers, a currency linked more or less tightly to
the U.S. dollar and, partly as a consequence, a tailing off of
export growth last year when the dollar was strong.
Thai Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh's alleged financial
mismanagement was the subject last week of a no-confidence
motion. He was accused of bankrupting the country and leaking
information to political allies about the devaluation of the
national currency, the baht.
The prime minister survived the vote. But his critics are
still calling for a national nonpartisan government led by
someone other than Chavalit. It is generally agreed that a major
cabinet reshuffle is on the cards. And it is hoped this will
inject more nonpartisan professionals into the cabinet.
Observers have pointed out that delaying this move might lead
to a further plunge in public confidence in the administration at
a time when it is presiding over the country's worst economic
crisis in recent memory. It is also hoped that the new Thai
constitution, which sailed through parliament on Saturday, will
succeed in rooting out the influence of money in politics and
create a more capable and stable government. Through deft
political maneuvering, Chavalit succeeded in making passage of
the constitution dependent on his being able to remain in office
for another nine months.
Optimists still hope that the new charter will put the country
on the right path to good governance. Thailand deserves to have
some good news at last.
-- The Hong Kong Standard