Smoke from Indonesia: flights cancelled, schools in Malaysia stay closed
Firefly has cancelled all flights between Subang and Singapore's Seletar, and schools stay shut in parts of Malaysia. Jakarta has briefed Kuala Lumpur on its firefighting efforts.
Archive image · Photo: Wolcott / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Smoke from forest and land fires in Indonesia continues to blanket parts of Southeast Asia. Malaysian airline Firefly cancelled all services between Subang airport near Kuala Lumpur and Singapore's Seletar airport from Oct. 10 to 12 – six daily service pairs – as a precaution due to weather and haze, the airline said. Affected passengers are being moved to Malaysia Airlines flights or can get a full refund. In Singapore, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) ranged from 119 to 165 on Saturday evening, according to CNA, putting it in the "unhealthy" band.
In Malaysia, schools in four districts of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor remain closed on Monday, The Star reported, while closures in the state of Johor were extended by five days. Schools in Perak were due to reopen as air quality improves. As of Sunday morning, 14 areas still recorded unhealthy readings. Singapore has activated haze-related medical aid schemes. Its National Environment Agency forecast that the PSI would stay in the unhealthy band for the following 24 hours.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir contacted his Malaysian counterpart Mohamad Hasan to explain efforts to fight forest and land fires on Sumatra and Kalimantan, Malaysian news agency Bernama reported. Malaysia wants to help resolve the transboundary haze, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said, according to The Star. The fires also threaten orangutans: rescuers have found injured animals. Eight rescued orangutans were released into a protected forest, The Star reported.