S'pore to study Indonesian fires

S'pore to study Indonesian fires

SINGAPORE (DPA): A team of Singapore scientists, known for their earlier satellite crime-busting work, are setting their sights on Indonesia's notorious forest fires, reports said yesterday.

The Center for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Protesting (CRISP) gained fame a year ago when its scientists used satellite photos to prove an oil tanker was the source of a 5 kilometer oil slick in Singapore waters.

It was the first time remote imaging satellite pictures were admissible as evidence in court, CRISP director Lim Hock said.

The 30-member CRISP team has already collected strong evidence that the Indonesian fires, which cloaked most of Southeast Asia in dense smoke for the past two months, were being set deliberately for the purpose of clearing land.