Teamwork vital to prevent fires

Teamwork vital to prevent fires

SINGAPORE (DPA): Southeast Asian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are set to gather in Singapore next month to discuss battling the region's forest fires and the resulting haze that periodically blankets the region, a news report said yesterday.

The Singapore Environment Council is hosting the closed-door conference in a bid to unite industry groups and NGOs, and stimulate them to take coordinated action to prevent the fires.

The fires, which are raging out of control in parts of Indonesia and Malaysia, have covered large areas in Southeast Asia with thick, foul-smelling smoke haze.

Delegates from NGOs, international aid agencies and think tanks are scheduled to attend the Singapore meeting.

"There are a lot of individual efforts now. We are looking at how we can work with them," the Straits Times newspaper quoted the Singapore Environment Council's executive director, Penelope Phoon, as saying.