Indonesia reaffirms commitment to resolving haze problem

Channel NewsAsia 11 Jun 14;

SINGAPORE: Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan met with Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare Agung Laksono on Wednesday (June 11) and discussed concerns about the impact of El Nino leading to more haze from forest fires later this year.

"We agreed that strong enforcement and rapid response measures on the ground are necessary," Dr Balakrishnan wrote in a Facebook post. "In particular, we have to deter companies from starting fires."

He said that Mr Agung has "reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to resolve this recurrent problem" and also welcomed Singapore's offers to help. "We agreed that both governments need to work closely in order to safeguard the health and welfare of citizens from both Indonesia and Singapore," Dr Balakakrishnan added.

- CNA/xy