Najib to Yudhoyono: Enforce stricter punishment against those causing haze

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will send an official letter to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, seeking cooperation from the republic to enforce more effective measures to punish those responsible for causing the haze.

Najib said he had asked Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel to meet his counterpart in Indonesia with regard to the matter on Wednesday.

"The question of who owns the plantations is not the issue here but when something of this magnitude happens, there should be no concern of whether the plantations are owned by Indonesia, Malaysia or Singapore but rather action taken against those responsible," he said after chairing a Barisan Nasional Supreme Council meeting, here, tonight.

He was commenting on steps taken by the government to tackle the haze problem that has become an annual affair.

Najib said Malaysia would offer aircrafts that can be used as water bombers to assist in putting out fires at the affected areas.

"The special aircrafts can absorb and store water that can be splashed on areas affected by the fire, including fire involving peat soil. Putting out fire which keeps burning below the surface will not be an easy task, so a more effective method is needed," he said.

Najib added that a special prayer "solat hajat" would also be performed at Masjid Negara tomorrow, seeking divine intervention and asking for rain since heavy rain can help solve the problem.