Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla has invited the Singapore Government to help resolve the haze crisis in Sumatra and Kalimantan, according to a report by SCTV’s Liputan6 television news programme.
“Singapore is ready to help. So, I think, please do … because Singapore als knows that a natural disaster can happen anywhere,” he was quoted as saying on Tuesday (Sep 15).
“Singapore please come and tackle the haze because the effect is also felt by Singapore. We, not to mention Singapore, dislike (the haze). Everyone dislikes it and we have put in extra effort to tackle the fires,” Mr Kalla added.
His comments came after Singapore’s Ministry of Defence confirmed that Jakarta accepted the Singapore Armed Forces’ offer to send C-130s for cloud seeding and Chinooks for large water buckets to douse fires, only to decline it later.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo subsequently ordered the mobilisation of hundreds more troops and enforcement officers to tackle the forest fires which have caused air quality to reach hazardous levels in Riau.
Mr Kalla had previously criticised Indonesia’s neighbours for complaining about annual transboundary haze caused by Sumatra forest fires. “For 11 months, they enjoyed nice air from Indonesia and they never thanked us. They have suffered because of the haze for one month and they get upset,” he said in March.
On Tuesday, the vice-president stressed that firm action would be taken against those involved in land and forest fires, and said sanctions would be meted out accordingly, reported Liputan6.
Mr Widodo also pledged this week to crack down on companies and individuals behind the fires. “The president’s instruction is clear – law enforcement must be firm so that this will not happen again next year,” national police chief Badrodin Haiti told reporters late Wednesday.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
