KUALA LUMPUR – Indonesia did not detect the spread of its smoke haze to Malaysia, said its Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar, and that its forest fires have abated.
This comes after Malaysia issued a letter to Indonesia following instructions from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to coordinate with his Asean counterparts to address the transboundary haze issue.
“I do not know what basis that Malaysia used in giving those statements. We are working not based upon Malaysia’s request,” Siti Nurbaya told Reuters today.
She added that forest fires in Sumatra and Borneo have reduced as the Indonesian government works to put them out.
Yesterday, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said Malaysia was awaiting Indonesia’s response concerning cooperation under the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.
“We have not received a response yet. We have sent the letter directly (to Indonesia) and also to their embassy… we will wait for their response,” he told a press conference here yesterday.
He added that according to the latest data from the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre based in Singapore, there were nine hotspots detected in Sarawak, while in Indonesia, there were 16 hotspots in Sumatra and 193 in Kalimantan. – October 6, 2023