Asean go-ahead for joint haze monitoring system

Collective effort to track down culprits who burn land illegally
Andrea Ong And Zakir Hussain, In Bandar Begawan Straits Times 10 Oct 13;

ASEAN leaders yesterday adopted a joint haze monitoring system (HMS) which will allow the tracking down of culprits behind the annual air pollution that affects countries in the region.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong welcomed the move as a "concrete example of cooperation".

"This approval of the HMS will allow us to implement the system and track down those responsible for causing the haze, and over time manage the problem," he told his counterparts at the Asean Summit.

He also said it was important for Asean's credibility that the regional grouping address the issue collectively.

The backing of all 10 Asean leaders is a signal to ministries and agencies to start sharing data needed for the HMS to be effective, PM Lee and Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan told reporters.

The $100,000 monitoring system, developed by Singapore, uses high-resolution satellite images together with land use and concession maps to pinpoint culprits who burn land illegally.

It will be implemented in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Thailand - the five members of a sub-regional committee for haze.

Dr Balakrishnan said: "The ball is in the court of the relevant ministries and we will work closely together with them to facilitate this process as quickly as possible."

The sharing of concession maps has been a sticking point in previous discussions. Singapore wants the maps to be publicly available but Malaysia and Indonesia cited legal concerns over going public.

In July, the five environment ministers reached a compromise, saying they would recommend to their leaders that the maps be shared on a case-by-case basis between governments.

Asked if the limited sharing of data will affect the HMS' efficacy, Dr Balakrishnan said its key contribution is to signal that "there are many eyes watching" the firms on the ground, both at the local and Asean level, to hold them accountable.

It thus adds another layer to local investigation and enforcement, he said.

Mr Lee also had a brief meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on the haze issue. He thanked them for their cooperation on the HMS and extended Singapore's offer to collaborate on sustainable farming projects, as had been done in Indonesia's Jambi province.

When Mr Lee and Dr Yudhoyono met during their leaders' retreat in April, they agreed to renew cooperation in Jambi, which lapsed in 2011.

Yesterday, Mr Lee also suggested expanding it to other provinces in Sumatra and for all three countries to explore new areas of cooperation to "encourage sustainable practices and minimise this problem over time", thus addressing the root causes of the fires behind the haze.

"I think they generally agreed with me, so I hope that we will be able to make some progress there," Mr Lee said later.

Indonesia's presidential adviser on climate change Agus Purnomo said ahead of yesterday's summit that he supports the release of concession maps showing only the burnt areas.

"I don't see any need to keep it a secret. The Attorney-General, in his investigations, will also have to disclose such information. So secrecy is not an option," he said.

Additional reporting by Zubaidah Nazeer in Jakarta

PM Lee welcomes adoption of ASEAN haze monitoring system
S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia, 9 Oct 13;

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, BRUNEI: Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has welcomed the adoption of the ASEAN Sub-Regional Haze Monitoring System at the Brunei summit.

He said this is a concrete example of cooperation and the approval of the haze monitoring system will allow countries to implement it and track down those responsible for causing the haze.

Mr Lee made these points during the ASEAN Summit opening session on Wednesday amongst the 10 leaders of the grouping.

He explained that it is important for ASEAN's credibility to collectively address the haze issue and he looks forward to Indonesia ratifying the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.

After the main summit, Mr Lee, together with Malaysian Premier Najib Razak and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, met and discussed the issue of the ASEAN haze monitoring system.

It is understood the meeting lasted about 10 minutes.

Mr Lee said he thanked his Malaysian and Indonesian counterparts for their cooperation for the project and expressed Singapore's willingness to work with them to implement the system and take the cooperation beyond the haze monitoring system.

This includes working with farmers to encourage them to work in a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly way as Singapore had worked with Indonesia’s Jambi province in the past.

Singapore is willing to go beyond Jambi to other provinces too, said Mr Lee.

Speaking to the Singapore media in Brunei, Singapore's Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said the environment ministers had been waiting for formal approval from the leaders.

Dr Balakrishnan said the approval has now been obtained at the ASEAN level and from the leaders of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia on implementing the ASEAN haze monitoring system.

Dr Balakrishnan also said the system and platform are ready and what is needed now is the data from the relevant ministries of the countries so that there can be accurate digitised concession maps.

He explained: "Ultimately it depends on local data, local investigations and local enforcement. Having an ASEAN monitoring system adds another area. The key point is to send the message to all the companies that there are many eyes watching them and they will be held accountable for their activities on the ground and we need everyone and to use the words of Prime Minister Najib - we will work together."

Dr Balakrishnan hopes to see the ASEAN haze monitoring system go into effect as soon as possible.

- CNA/xq


New haze monitoring system approved at ASEAN summit
PM Lee welcomes adoption of system which will allow more efficient haze monitoring, tracking of those responsible for illegal burning
Today Online, 9 Oct 13;

BRUNEI — The Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) has adopted a new joint haze monitoring system, it was announced at the grouping’s regional summit in Brunei today (Oct 9).

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan told reporters in Brunei this morning that the S$100,000 ASEAN Sub-Regional Haze Monitoring System will overlay land concession maps with high-resolution satellite images to allow authorities to identify those responsible for start forest fires to clear land illegally.

In his opening remarks at the ASEAN Summit opening session amongst the ten leaders of the grouping, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong welcomed the adoption of the Singapore-developed system.

He said that the approval of the system is a concrete example of cooperation among the members of the 10-nation regional bloc, adding that ASEAN’s addressing the haze issue collectively is a marker of its credibility.

Mr Lee also said that he looks forward to Indonesia ratifying the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.

After the opening session, Mr Lee met with Malaysian Premier Najib Razak and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to discuss the ASEAN Haze Monitoring System. It is understood the meeting lasted about ten minutes.

Mr Lee said he thanked his Malaysian and Indonesian counterparts for their cooperation in the project and expressed Singapore’s willingness to work with them to implement the system and take the cooperation beyond the haze monitoring system.

This includes working with farmers to encourage them to work in a more sustainable and environmentally friendly way like how Singapore had worked with the Jambi province in the past, said Mr Lee, who added that Singapore was willing to go beyond Jambi to other provinces too.

Mr Lee, Dr Balakrishnan and Law Minister K Shanmugam are attending the 23rd ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Brunei today and tomorrow.


ASEAN to adopt haze monitoring system
Neo Chai Chin, Today Online, 9 Oct 13;

The 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are today expected to adopt the haze monitoring system for use by five countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Talks involving senior officials yesterday — ahead of the two-day 23rd ASEAN Summit that starts today — are understood to have gone well. Leaders of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, the three nations most affected by the haze this year, are likely to meet today to review efforts undertaken in recent months.

These include the push for adoption of the Singapore-developed haze monitoring system, sharing of meteorological data among the three countries, bilateral collaborations as well as encouraging Indonesia to ratify the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.

If the meeting takes place, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is expected to also discuss future initiatives with his Indonesian and Malaysian counterparts to address transboundary haze.

The haze monitoring system, which will also involve Brunei and Thailand, comprises digitised land use maps and concession maps of fire-prone areas to be shared on a government-to-government basis. Environment ministers of the ASEAN member states had agreed, at the 14th Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the Environment in Surabaya last month, to recommend the system to ASEAN leaders for adoption.

Speaking to Singapore reporters in Bali yesterday, where he was attending the APEC meetings, Mr Lee said apart from the haze issue, leaders at the summit will also discuss progress made to realise an ASEAN Community by 2015, and “what we can do beyond 2015”. “Chances are, there will be some outstanding business but even without that, you need to set goals to take us the next step forward,” he said.

Mr Lee is accompanied at the summit by Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan and senior officials.

Making plantation firms pay for causing haze
Muzli Mohd Zin New Straits Times 11 Oct 13;

AGREEMENT: Asean leaders adopt recommendation of environs ministers for trans-boundary monitoring system

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: ASEAN leaders on Wednesday agreed to adopt a recommendation by Asean environment ministers for a transboundary haze monitoring system to make plantation companies accountable for causing haze in the region.

The 23rd Asean Summit chairman, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, said the leaders acknowledged the report of the 10th Asean Social-Cultural Community meeting, involving Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean foreign ministers in Brunei, last month, which coincided with an informal meeting of Asean environment ministers in Surabaya, Indonesia.

They have also welcomed the adoption of the recommendation of the 14th Informal Asean Ministerial Meeting on the Environment for an Asean Sub-Regional Haze Monitoring System for a joint haze monitoring system among Sub-Regional Ministerial Steering Committee on Transboundary Haze Pollution countries to be set up.

"Leaders also took note of the outcome of the trilateral meeting on transboundary haze between Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean foreign ministers on the sidelines of the Asean Foreign Minister's Retreat in Hua Hin, Thailand, in August.

"We also welcome Indonesia's commitment to the ratification of the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution and look forward to Indonesia's ratification of the agreement as soon as possible," he said in a statement yesterday.

On Wednesday, on the sidelines of the 23rd Asean Summit, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had a meeting that lasted about 10 minutes to discuss the issue of the Asean haze monitoring system.
Lee, in welcoming the adoption of the Asean Sub-Regional Haze Monitoring System, told the Singaporean media at the summit that it was a concrete example of cooperation between the countries.

The approval for the haze monitoring system, he said, would allow countries to track down those responsible for causing the haze.
It was reported that under the Singapore-developed system, governments in the region will share satellite data to pinpoint fires and identify companies, most of them palm-oil producers, that own the affected land.

Susilo, in June, had to issue an apology for the haze that blanketed Singapore and Malaysia and forced Najib to declare a state of emergency in Muar and Ledang in Johor after Air Pollutant Index readings surpassed the 750 mark. Readings of 300 and above are deemed hazardous.
The haze situation reached chronic proportions, leaving the government no choice but to order schools in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Malacca, Segamat, Johor and Kuantan in Pahang to close.
It was reported that Indonesia would ratify the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution by year-end or early next year.

Its Environment Minister Prof Dr Balthashar Kambuaya was quoted as saying that the matter would be discussed in the Indonesian Parliament for a final decision.
"From our government's side, it is ready. The Indonesian government has signed the agreement, but we have to discuss it in Parliament," he said after a three-day task force meeting to seek a solution to the haze problem in Kuala Lumpur in July.