Government does not raise forest fire status to national disaster

The government has not designated the forest and land fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan as a national disaster. Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Dudung Abdurachman said the state is still able to handle the fires, although they have been burning for about two months and teams on the ground are beginning to face difficulties. After an interministerial meeting at the Coordinating Ministry for Political and Security Affairs office in Jakarta on Monday (19/10), Dudung said foreign assistance remains open, but the issue is not simply adding equipment and personnel. Malaysia, he said, offered three helicopters and 52 personnel. However, the government is still weighing technical operational matters, including fuel distribution and work arrangements in the field. Dudung added that the response has involved BNPB, TNI, Polri, local governments, as well as technology from Brasil and BRIN.