Day: October 2, 2023
Indonesia’s environment ministry on Monday denied accusations that forest fires in Sumatra and its portion of Borneo island, which have blanketed some of its cities with thick haze, have also affected air quality in neighboring Malaysia.
Malaysia on Friday warned residents of high pollution levels in most areas on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and the western Borneo region of Sarawak, blaming trans-boundary haze from Indonesia, its Department of Environment said in a statement.
Indonesia’s Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar responded by saying Jakarta has not detected any travelling haze from Indonesia to neighboring countries.
“We continue to follow up any development and there is no trans-boundary haze to Malaysia,” she said in a statement.
At the moment, Indonesia is focusing on quelling forest fires in some provinces in Sumatra and Borneo with water bombing from helicopters, the minister added.
As well as maritime boundaries, Malaysia shares a land border with Indonesia on Borneo island.
Malaysia has not filed a diplomatic complaint from the haze, Indonesia’s foreign ministry spokesperson said.
Indonesia’s dry season this year is its most severe since 2019 due to the impact of the El Nino weather pattern.
While forest fires are typically started by farmers to clear land for plantations, authorities say putting out fires this year has been harder due to El Nino.
More than 267,900 hectares (661,995.3 acres) of forests have been burned so far this year, bigger than a total of 204,894 hectares for all of 2022, according to the environment ministry’s data.
This has brought haze into several cities in Sumatra and Borneo.
Some areas in Central Kalimantan, Borneo, reported visibility of less than 10 meters (33 feet), state news agency Antara reported.
Authorities ordered remote learning for students in Palembang and Jambi cities in southern Sumatra starting this week due to the severity of pollution, local media reported.
Forces from Manila, Britain, Canada, Japan and the United States kicked off on Monday two weeks of joint naval exercises in Philippine waters as a “show of force”, amid flaring regional tension.
With more than 1,800 participants, the drills follow last week’s move by Beijing to block Philippine fishermen from Asia’s most contested maritime feature, the Scarborough Shoal, held by China in the South China Sea.
This year’s “Sama Sama” drills are being held in the southern part of the island of Luzon, featuring naval exercises in areas such as anti-submarine warfare, air defense and search and rescue, the Philippine navy said.
“With this show of force and active engagement of our allies and partners, ‘Sama Sama’ transcends mere military exercises,” Philippine navy chief Rear Admiral Toribio Adaci said at the opening event.
“It is a symbol of our enduring partnerships and our shared commitment to security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.”
In his remarks, Vice Admiral Karl Thomas, the commander of the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet, said, “It is important that all nations have a right to sail and operate in the West Philippine Sea, free from … being coerced, free from being intimidated.”
The West Philippine Sea refers to the portion of the South China Sea claimed by Manila.
Five vessels, two from the United States, and one each from Britain, Canada and Japan, joined the Philippine-hosted drills that will run until Oct. 13.
The navies of Australia, France, Indonesia and New Zealand also joined in by sending observers and experts.
“I am confident that no potential aggressor should be under any illusion other than this is a strong team of nations, a strong team of navies … one navy sailing and operating together,” Thomas added.
Indonesia’s environment ministry on Monday denied accusations that forest fires in Sumatra and its portion of Borneo island, which have blanketed some of its cities with thick haze, have also affected air quality in neighboring Malaysia.
Malaysia on Friday warned residents of high pollution levels in most areas on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and the western Borneo region of Sarawak, blaming trans-boundary haze from Indonesia, its Department of Environment said in a statement.
Indonesia’s Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar responded by saying Jakarta has not detected any travelling haze from Indonesia to neighboring countries.
“We continue to follow up any development and there is no trans-boundary haze to Malaysia,” she said in a statement.
At the moment, Indonesia is focusing on quelling forest fires in some provinces in Sumatra and Borneo with water bombing from helicopters, the minister added.
As well as maritime boundaries, Malaysia shares a land border with Indonesia on Borneo island.
Malaysia has not filed a diplomatic complaint from the haze, Indonesia’s foreign ministry spokesperson said.
Indonesia’s dry season this year is its most severe since 2019 due to the impact of the El Nino weather pattern.
While forest fires are typically started by farmers to clear land for plantations, authorities say putting out fires this year has been harder due to El Nino.
More than 267,900 hectares (661,995.3 acres) of forests have been burned so far this year, bigger than a total of 204,894 hectares for all of 2022, according to the environment ministry’s data.
This has brought haze into several cities in Sumatra and Borneo.
Some areas in Central Kalimantan, Borneo, reported visibility of less than 10 meters (33 feet), state news agency Antara reported.
Authorities ordered remote learning for students in Palembang and Jambi cities in southern Sumatra starting this week due to the severity of pollution, local media reported.