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Tag: haze

  • Indonesia VP Jusuf Kalla Reiterates No Apology Required To Neighbours Over Haze

    Indonesia VP Jusuf Kalla Reiterates No Apology Required To Neighbours Over Haze

    NEW YORK – Indonesia’s Vice-President Jusuf Kalla has reiterated that Indonesia need not apologise to neighbouring countries over haze from forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

    Indonesia only needs to ensure forest fires that cause haze do not recur, he was quoted as saying on Indonesian news site kompas.com.

    “Look at how long they have enjoyed fresh air from our green environment and forests when there were no fires. Could be months. Are they grateful? But when forest fires occur, a month at the most, haze pollutes their regions. So why should there be an apology?” he said during a dialogue session with Indonesians in New York at the Indonesian Consulate-General on Thursday.

    He also claimed that companies from neighbouring countries are paying locals to clear lands using the slash-and-burn technique.

    This was not the first time Mr Kalla has made such remarks. He made similar remarks between 2005 and 2007 when he was Vice-President to then President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

    On Sept 18 this year, he made the same point after meeting Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at the vice-president’s office.

    Mr Kalla said forest fires and destruction were started by foreigners who needed land in the 1960s and 1970s.

    They later collaborated with Indonesian entrepreneurs.

    “They taught us to destroy forests. As a result, using development as an excuse, our forests were felled. Our peatlands were opened up. Wet peatlands dried up, making them easier to burn,” he said, naming several foreign companies.

    He said besides preventing forest fires from recurring, the government has also issued bans on logging and moratoriums on the use of land, including opening up lands for new plantations.

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • K Shanmugam Rebukes Jusuf Kalla Over Shocking Statements

    K Shanmugam Rebukes Jusuf Kalla Over Shocking Statements

    The ongoing haze crisis, which has affected the lives of millions across Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, has started to draw strong comments from leaders here.

    Foreign and Law Minister K. Shanmugam, in a Facebook post on Thursday night, expressed his unhappiness at what he referred to as “shocking statements made, at senior levels, from Indonesia, with a complete disregard for our people, and their own”.

    “How is it possible for senior people in government to issue such statements, without any regard for their people, or ours, and without any embarrassment, or sense of responsibility?” wrote the minister.

    Mr Shanmugam did not name any of his Indonesian counterparts or elaborate on the statement in question at the time.

    His post on social media came after Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla had reiterated that Indonesia need not apologise to its neighbours over the haze.

    Speaking at a dialogue at the Indonesian Consulate-General in New York on Thursday, Mr Kalla said Indonesia needs only to ensure that forest fires that cause haze do not recur, Kompas daily reported yesterday.

    “Look at how long they have enjoyed fresh air from our green environment and forests when there were no fires,” said Mr Kalla.

    “Could be months. Are they grateful? But when forest fires occur, a month at the most, haze pollutes their regions. So why should there be an apology?”

    He also accused “companies from neighbouring countries” of paying locals to clear lands using the slash-and-burn technique, which have led to the blaze.

    Mr Kalla had made similar remarks in previous years.

    The most recent occasion was in March this year, when he rapped neighbouring countries for complaining about the haze, asking them to be grateful instead for the clean air they enjoy for the rest of the year.

    “For 11 months, they enjoyed nice air from Indonesia and they never thanked us,” he said at the time. “They have suffered because of the haze for one month and they get upset.”

    Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong yesterday wrote a post on Facebook directed at Indonesia and the haze crisis.

    “Merlion is mythical like the Garuda and will not be affected by the haze. But we humans will be, not just now but also in the long term if haze continues year after year,” he said. The Merlion and Garuda are associated with Singapore and Indonesia respectively.

    “If Indonesia can stamp out illegal burning, they will gain investor confidence in their abilities to tackle other complex challenges. The haze is their litmus test for effective administration and regional leadership. We all see it, breathe it; and there is no hiding.”

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Indonesia: 1 Month Needed To Fight Fires

    Indonesia: 1 Month Needed To Fight Fires

    Indonesia will take 30 days to bring smouldering forest fires under control, the national disaster management agency said on Friday (Sept 18), as smog from the fires pushes pollution in Southeast Asia to record highs.

    The region has suffered for years from annual bouts of smog caused by slash-and-burn practices in Indonesia’s islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan, but governments have failed to tackle the problem.

    “We expect there will be a potential for haze because of the El Nino effect until the end of November, but we are targeting to put out the majority of the fires by mid-October,” agency spokesman Sutopo Nugroho told Reuters.

    Indonesia has faced criticism from neighbours and green groups for not doing enough to prevent the fires, which cause millions of dollars worth of damage to health and the environment every year.

    This week, Indonesia said it was investigating about 100 companies, including an unnamed Malaysian firm, in the latest crackdown to tackle smog worsened by a prolonged dry season. The rainy season usually begins in November.

    Next week, authorities will name several companies likely to face sanctions for starting fires, including possible withdrawal of licenses, Indonesia’s environment and forestry minister, Siti Nurbaya Bakar, told a news conference on Friday.

    Meanwhile, Malaysia on Friday announced plans to evacuate 173 of its citizens “badly affected by the haze surrounding Riau province”from provincial capital Pekanbaru, using two C-130 Hercules aircraft.

    Plantation companies, some of which are listed in Singapore, and smallholder farmers often get blamed for using slash-and-burn practices to clear land for palm oil and agriculture.

    Indonesian law allows smallholders to slash and burn up to 2ha of land, according to the disaster management agency, which has said the policy is being misused.

    Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), one of the world’s biggest pulp and paper companies, says it is fighting fires on its large concession areas and that thousands of hectares of its plantations have been destroyed.

    “We are just seeing the tip of the iceberg here. El Nino will last until March next year,” Aida Greenbury, managing director of sustainability at APP, told Reuters.

    Indonesia has deployed nearly 3,000 troops and 24 aircraft to help fight the fires. Bakar said an offer of assistance from Singapore was turned down.

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Vivian Balakrishnan: Cloud Seeding Rumours Are False, Malicious

    Vivian Balakrishnan: Cloud Seeding Rumours Are False, Malicious

    Rumours that cloud seeding is taking place to induce rain ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix are false, Minister for Environment and Water Resources Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said.

    Addressing a WhatsApp message that has been making the rounds in Singapore, Dr Balakrishnan posted on Facebook on Thursday (Sep 17): “The National Environment Agency does not engage in cloud seeding and has no plans to do so. Singapore is so small that even if anybody tried to do it, the rain would almost certainly fall outside Singapore.”

    He added: “Singaporeans should beware of malicious people spreading false rumours during a period when anxieties are heightened.”

    The original WhatsApp message called for people to be wary of what it claimed were “chemically-induced rain showers”, purportedly meant to reduce haze levels in light of the coming Formula 1 race, which will be held on roads in Singapore’s Civic District from Sep 18 to 20.

    You may have seen this making the rounds. It is untrue.NEA does not engage in cloud seeding and has no plans to do so….

    Posted by Vivian Balakrishnan on Wednesday, September 16, 2015

     

    Singapore has been blanketed by haze caused by forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia. The 3-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit two-year highs earlier in September, with readings crossing 200. They have dipped below 100 in the past two days.

    AIR QUALITY TO REMAIN MODERATE: NEA

    In an advisory released on Thursday, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said that hazy conditions in Singapore have eased further as prevailing winds continue to blow from the southeast. As at 1pm, the 24-hour PSI was 76 to 96, in the Moderate range.

    For the next 12 hours, the 24-hour PSI is expected to be in the high end of the Moderate range, but may enter the low end of the Unhealthy range if unfavourable winds blow in haze from Sumatra, the agency added.

    NEA reiterated that the health impact of the haze is dependent on a person’s health status, the PSI level, and the length and intensity of outdoor activity.

    “Reducing outdoor activities and physical exertion can help limit the ill effects from haze exposure,” said the NEA. “Given the air quality forecast for the next 24 hours, healthy persons should reduce prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion.”

    “The elderly, pregnant women and children should minimise prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion, while those with chronic lung or heart disease should avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion,” NEA added.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Companies Behind Indonesian Forest Fires To Be Blacklisted, Face Criminal Sanctions

    Companies Behind Indonesian Forest Fires To Be Blacklisted, Face Criminal Sanctions

    Companies found guilty of forest fires in Indonesia would be blacklisted and could face criminal sanctions.

    Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Panjaitan said President Joko Widodo has agreed with the proposal.

    Speaking to reporters at the Istana on Wednesday (Sep 16), Luhut said five to 10 companies will be blacklisted. The companies were on a list compiled by authorities, which includes the names of company directors, commissioners and owners.

    Luhut added that their business permits will be revoked, and that the government would punish companies which are found to be guilty of negligence.

    “After the blacklist, there will be no more chances for the firms and businessmen and there is no chance for them to ever receive a plantation or forest clearing permit,” said Luhut.

    Earlier, Luhut said that he was coordinating with the police and there would be no compromise on the issue.

    “As a result of their actions, millions of people have breathing difficulties. I’m putting my reputation on the line to say this will not happen again,” said Luhut as quoted by news portal Detik.com

    However, he did not disclose the names of the companies suspected of starting the fires. National police chief Badrodin Haiti is expected to announce the names of the companies soon.

    General Badrodin had said that slash-and-burn cases were more difficult to solve than those involving drugs or terrorism.

    “In terrorism and drugs, we have access to preliminary information, there are the links and networks (of offenders),” he said. “However, for forest fires, the problem is how we get this preliminary information fast, who started it.”

    General Badrodin said hotspots can be detected with satellites, but often, it is not immediately clear whether the fire was started deliberately.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com