Indonesia vows to combat haze from forest fires
Date: 08-Oct-02
Country: MALAYSIA
Author: Lewa Pardomuan
Environment Minister Nabiel Makarim said tougher law enforcement had reduced cases of open burning on the island of Sumatra, and at least one Malaysian-owned plantation firm had been convicted of destroying the environment.
"We are not running away from responsibilities," Makarim told reporters after a meeting with his Malaysian counterpart to discuss efforts to jointly combat the fires.
Indonesia is the world's second largest palm oil producer after Malaysia. It is also the second largest producer of rubber and cocoa. Several Malaysian firms have set up plantations in Indonesia because of a shortage of land and workers at home.
Environmentalists blame some of the fires on the clearing of land in Indonesia's huge swathes of rainforest for plantations.
"In 1997, we have 20 million Indonesians (who) have to live (in) thick haze for two months. For us, it's a nightmare and we don't want that to happen again," Makarim said.
Drought caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon in 1997 and 1998 contributed to Indonesia's forest fires. The choking smoke spread to neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia, costing $9 billion in damage to tourism, transport and farming.
Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore have asked Jakarta to take tougher measures to contain the fires on Sumatra and Kalimantan - the Indonesian part of Borneo island - which have sent choking smoke drifting over their countries the past few weeks.
Malaysia will send a team to Kalimantan soon to help study the cause of forest fires there.
LAWS TOO WEAK
Conservationists have criticised Jakarta for failing to protect its natural resources. Indonesia has said its laws are too weak to deal with the problem and is promising reform.
Makarim blamed new settlers for the reccurence of forest fires on Borneo, but said tougher law enforcement had reduced the cases in Sumatra, where several plantation companies have been accused of clearing land through open burning.
Makarim said the owner of a Malaysian plantation company operating in Sumatra was sentenced to eight months in jail last year for destroying the environment while another Malaysian firm was acquitted due to a lack of evidence.
Three other Malaysian firms, four Indonesian companies and a joint-venture firm were still being tried on charges of damaging the environment, Makarim added.
"It is not right (to say) we don't care. We are doing what we can do. But we realise that this is not an easy task to do."
"When your neighbour's (house) is on fire, you don't come and say: 'Why do you burn your house'. What you can do is to offer assistance," he said.
More than 1,000 hot spots in Kalimantan and another 400 in Sumatra were identified as of last week, he said, adding the government had identified 17 districts in both regions which are prone to forest fires.
When asked whether the haze would return next year, Makarim said: "I assume there will be. So we have to prevent that. Who wants their houses to burn? We don't want that."
