Forest fires: Indonesia accepts neighbours' help – Singapore warns firms
President Prabowo accepts regional support against the fires whose smoke is shrouding Southeast Asia. Singapore's Prime Minister Wong is weighing legal action against companies responsible.
Symbolic image · Photo: Muhammad Pasya Ramadhan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has agreed to accept help from neighbouring countries to fight forest and land fires. Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir said so in Jakarta on Thursday. The disaster management agency BNPB is finalising the technical procedures for receiving the aid. “The fires are in Indonesia, but their impact is felt by our neighbors, so we welcome their support,” Prabowo was quoted as saying. Malaysia had already offered one aircraft, three helicopters and 52 personnel in September.
According to the Antara news agency, more than 60,000 personnel had been deployed by 13 October, including firefighters, soldiers, police officers and volunteers. Aircraft and helicopters are dropping water, and clouds are being seeded to trigger rain. The smoke from the fires is also drifting into neighbouring countries.
Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said his country was looking into which companies may be responsible for the fires on forest and peatland. “Where warranted, we will take action under Singapore's Transboundary Haze Pollution Act,” Wong wrote on social media. Joint action with other countries was also being explored. The haze has been worsened by an extended dry period, Wong said.