Haze: Indonesia has agreed to receive assistance from Malaysia

Indonesia has agreed to receive assistance from Malaysia in fighting fire in the region.

Natural Resources and Environment minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel said Indonesian's Minister of Environment Prof Dr Balthasar Kambuaya has conditionally agreed for any form of technical assistance offered by Malaysia in fighting the fire.

“However, Kambuaya said he would have to discuss with his colleagues in the other relevant ministries such as the Agriculture as well as the Forest ministries to outline details of the form of assistance they will seek,” he said in a statement.

Palanivel also said that Indonesia has also agreed to bring forward the Sub-regional Ministerial Steering committee on ASEAN agreement on transboundary haze pollution.

“The meeting will be held in Kuala Lumpur on July 17. It was originally scheduled for Aug 20-21,” he said.

Meanwhile, Palanivel said Indonesia is in the midst of identifying the culprits who caused the haze and once identified, action will be taken against them.

“The three Malaysian companies operating in Riau, Indonesia, have openly denied their involvement in the open burning. These companies are Sime Darby, KL Kepong and Tabung Haji Holdings which operate in Riau through their Indonesian subsidiaries.

"The companies said they had adhered strictly to the zero burning policy and they are not involved in replanting activity," he said, adding that Indonesia is considering cloud seeding operation to overcome the haze.

Palanivel is currently in Indonesia to solve the haze problem that has bombarded the country and other neighbouring regions.