Malaysia turns to ASEAN channel to tackle Indonesian haze
Kuala Lumpur will send letters to the ASEAN Secretariat and partners in Indonesia as the Serian API hits 217 and 591 Sarawak schools close.
Malaysia will use ASEAN diplomatic channels to address transboundary haze from fires in Indonesia, especially in Kalimantan, which has hit Sarawak hard. Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry will soon send an official letter to the ASEAN Secretariat, while Arthur Joseph Kurup has also contacted his counterpart in Indonesia. At the same time, Malaysia and Indonesia are said to have agreed to strengthen cross-border cooperation, from hotspot monitoring and law enforcement involvement to possible sharing of airspace and assets for cloud-seeding operations. As of Saturday afternoon, Serian recorded an API of 217, or very unhealthy, while 591 schools in Sarawak have been closed. The Malaysian government is also monitoring the impact on the Aug. 31 Independence Day and Sept. 16 Malaysia Day celebrations.
Sources
Earlier in this story
- 2 hours agoForest-fire haze from Indonesia pollutes 7 Sarawak areas
- 3 hours agoKalimantan Selatan wildfire smoke disrupts 12 flights, delays schools
- 10 hours agoPalangka Raya wildfires reach 306 as flames near Balsam Toll
- 11 hours agoMalaysia asthma cases surge 259 percent amid haze
- 12 hours agoMalaysia turns to ASEAN channel to tackle Indonesian hazereading now
- 39 hours agoPontianak schools shift to online learning as haze thickens
- 42 hours agoWildfire smoke forces Banjarbaru to move classes online
- Aug 224 companies in Kalbar under probe over forest fires, permits at risk
- Aug 22Haze from Kalimantan fires closes 591 schools in Sarawak
- Aug 22Wildfires force 3,524 schools in Kalimantan to shift online
- Aug 22Forest-fire haze halts all flights at Singkawang Airport