Malaysia and Singapore offer to help Indonesia tackle haze issue

Malaysia willing to help Indonesia tackle haze issue
M. KUMAR The Star 29 Sep 15;

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is more than willing to help Indonesia tackle the haze issue, says Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein (pic).

The Defence Minister said while Malaysia had yet to officially offer help to Indonesia, they were more than willing to do so.

"We are willing to help. I am looking to get in touch with Singapore and Indonesia to see how we can go forward with this as it is a regional issue that affects us all yearly," he said in a press conference at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia Tuesday.

Hishammuddin also said he had personally been affected by the haze.

"I'm also suffering because I am asthmatic," he said.

Schools in several states were closed on Monday and Tuesday to the haze, following Air Pollutant Index (API) readings reaching unhealthy and very unhealthy levels.

On Sept 15, schools in Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Malacca were closed after API readings in some of the areas rose to nearly 200.

An API reading of between 0 and 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 (moderate), 101 to 200 (unhealthy), 201 to 300 (very unhealthy), and 301 and above (hazardous).

The haze in Malaysia is caused by open burning and forest fires in Indonesia.

Singapore open to giving more help to put out fires in Indonesia
Saifulbahri Ismail Channel NewsAsia 29 Sep 15;

JAKARTA: Singapore is open to considering giving more help to put out the forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan if Indonesia needs it, said Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen on Tuesday (Sep 29).

Speaking to Singapore reporters in Jakarta, Dr Ng said the current aid package still stands, and it will be up to Indonesia to activate it.

On Monday, Dr Ng had meetings with Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan and Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu.

Among the things discussed were the forest fires that are causing haze in Indonesia and the region.

Dr Ng said that he appreciated that President Joko Widodo and Mr Luhut have taken a personal interest in dealing with the problem.

“(Mr Luhut) said that they are determined to deal with the situation of the haze because the health of Indonesians are being affected," said Dr Ng.

OFFER TO HELP STILL STANDS

Dr Ng also reiterated Singapore’s offer of help to Indonesia. Singapore had previously offered to send C-130 aircraft for cloud seeding and Chinook helicopters with large water buckets to douse the fires. Dr Ng said that whether or not what Singapore is offering is adequate, is up to Indonesia to decide.

Indonesia has rejected Singapore's offer for help several times, with its Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar saying that the assets being offered were not enough. Dr Siti also raised concerns on Monday about the assessment team the Republic is offering to send.

Dr Ng stressed that whatever help Singapore is giving cannot infringe on the sovereignty, as well as command and control of the operations. He said he was also assured to know that Mr Luhut is open to work with non-government organisations.

"I think the more they open up, not only to Singapore but other countries to help to deal with this regional issue, whether it's in ASEAN or international countries, I think the better, the quicker the solutions will be found," he added.

During Dr Ng's meeting with the Indonesian ministers, he also discussed issues concerning the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) training over the South China Sea.

In recent months there have been comments made by Indonesian officials about their unhappiness that Singapore's aircraft might be infringing on its airspace. Dr Ng stressed that the RSAF's training is in full compliance with international agreements, specifically The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

“The RSAF has been training in the South China Sea for well over four decades since the 1960s and this was even before the UNCLOS was an international agreement and ratified by countries including Singapore and Indonesia," said Dr Ng.

"Before we ratified the UNCLOS agreement, we were very careful to ensure that our training in the South China Sea will be preserved as we sign on the agreement and this was on the basis in which we signed the UNCLOS agreement."

Dr Ng also reiterated that Singapore’s administration of the Flight Information Region (FIR) over the Riau Islands is not an issue of sovereignty, but of efficiency and safety.

He noted that Indonesia wants to take over the management of the airspace in three to four years. He said Singapore would leave it to the decision of the international agencies and would comply with whatever decision is made.

- CNA/dl


Indonesia ‘making progress’ on tackling haze
Today Online 29 Sep 15;

SINGAPORE — Despite a sharp exchange of words between leaders from Indonesia and Singapore over the haze situation, the Republic’s Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said today (Sept 29) following a two-day working visit to the country that he was assured that progress is being made in Indonesia to deal with the problem, which has caused suffering to its people.

As Singapore continues to be shrouded in smog — the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PS) level was in the “unhealthy” and “very unhealthy” ranges for most of today — Indonesia’s disaster management agency said that more than 135,000 Indonesians were reported to be suffering from respiratory diseases. The country has sent almost 21,000 personnel to fight forest fires raging in its northern islands but the situation remains dire, prompting Riau province acting governor Arsyadjuliandi Rachman to extend a state of emergency for another 14 days.

More than 135,000 Indonesians were reported to be suffering from respiratory diseases, according to Indonesia’s disaster management agency.
During his trip to Indonesia, Dr Ng held meetings with Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan and Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu. Among other topics, they discussed the haze situation.

Speaking to Singapore media at the end of his visit, Dr Ng stressed that it was “more productive to deal with the problem, the haze, than with the words”. Dr Ng said the two Indonesian leaders whom he met were motivated to resolve the problem because of the impact on their citizens’ health. “General Luhut described how they went to Kalimantan and the PSI there on some days had even exceeded 1,000. They fully recognise that the tourist industry is being affected; planes are grounded if not diverted,” said Dr Ng. “But more importantly, the health of Indonesians – they are subjected to these conditions and are affected... So to me, that was a very good starting point — that they wanted to resolve the haze problem for their own citizens.”

The Indonesian leaders also understood that the haze was an “engineering problem” that has to be prevented, instead of being reacted to, Dr Ng said. “The prevention of haze requires engineering solutions to stop... forest fires before they occur, as well as enforcing legislation to stop errant companies that are resorting to slash-and-burn techniques for commercial reasons. But I think the realisation that it is better to prevent fires than it is to put it out, if followed through, gives us a bigger greater chance that it will be solved.”

Dr Ng said he was also assured by the fact that Gen Luhhut was willing to work with non-governmental organisations. “The more they open up – not only to Singapore, but to other countries to help deal with this regional issue, whether it is in ASEAN or international countries – I think the better, as quicker solutions will be found,” he said.

Dr Ng reiterated that the haze is a “chronic health issue” that affect tens of thousands, or even millions of people in the region.

“So it will have to be dealt with and I am reassured that (Indonesian President Joko Widodo) is personally taking note of the issues,” he said.

In the past week, Mr Widodo had gone to Borneo and Sumatra islands to check on efforts to stop the forest blazes. He had set a deadline of two weeks to a month to stop the burning.

Dr Ng said that “every (Indonesian) leader” whom he spoke to understood the negative impact of the haze on not only Indonesia but the region as well. Noting that travellers would give South-east Asia a miss during periods of haze, he said: “(The Indonesian leaders) recognise that if this continues over a long period, jobs will be lost, the economy will suffer... If somebody put a cost to it, it would amount to enormous opportunity cost and ultimately, the loss of not only the health but livelihoods.”

During his meetings with the Indonesian leaders, Dr Ng reiterated Singapore’s offer of an assistance package that includes a C-130 aircraft for cloud-seeding operations, a Chinook helicopter with a water bucket for aerial fire-fighting, and up to two C-130 aircraft to ferry the Singapore Civil Defence Force fire-fighting assistance team. “Whether it is adequate or not, it is up to them to decide...The Singapore Armed Forces is always open to considering offering more help,” Dr Ng said.

Indonesia has rejected Singapore’s offer for help several times, with its Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar saying that the assets being offered were not enough. Dr Siti also raised concerns yesterday about the assessment team the Republic is offering to send.

Dr Ng said: “As with all assistance that we have offered in situations like this, we have been very clear that we go into this region fully respecting the sovereignty of the host nation. And that we cannot act in a manner that infringes on their sovereignty, and command and control.”

Separately, Malaysia’s Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said he was “more than willing” to help Indonesia tackle the forest fires, and cautioned that bilateral relations could be affected if the situation continues. “If you let it drag, simple things like fighting haze can become something that will affect bilateral ties,” said Mr Hishammuddin, stressing that a regional effort was needed to address the problem. WITH AGENCIES


Offer to help Indonesia fight haze 'still stands'
Straits Times AsiaOne 30 Sep 15;

Singapore's offer to help Indonesia resolve the haze crisis still stands and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will also consider enhancing its assistance package if more aid is needed, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said yesterday.

"If they need more help... the SAF is always open to consider more help," said Dr Ng, who was speaking to The Straits Times a day after high-level talks in Jakarta. He said he made the offer again during his talks with Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Panjaitan and Defence Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu on Monday.

"And both Pak Ryamizard and Pak Luhut thanked me for this offer and they understood that the offer is still open," he added.

Indonesia has struggled to put out illegal forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan that have blanketed many parts of the country, Singapore and Malaysia in thick smoke.

Singapore extended a helping hand to Indonesia earlier this month, but its help was thrice rejected publicly by Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar, who said her country had the resources to deal with the crisis.

The Singapore offer, however, has elicited mixed responses from Indonesian leaders. Lawmaker Ahmadi Noor Supit told the government not to reject offers of aid to put out the fires. "We should not be averse to it, we should not act as though we can cope alone, especially in terms of funding and equipment," he added.

Mr Ahmadi's comments come on the back of remarks by Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla, who said on Sunday: "Singapore can come and see for themselves if they want to help. Don't just talk."

Dr Ng said yesterday that while Singapore's offer remains, it was up to Indonesia "to activate our help".

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein also said he was "more than willing" to help Indonesia deal with the fires alongside Singapore.

Meanwhile, the haze continues to wreak havoc in the region. Acting Riau Governor Arsyadjuliandi Rachman yesterday extended the state of emergency in his province after it was covered by haze that reduced visibility to about 100m.

Hazy conditions in Singapore took a turn for the worse yesterday, with air quality reaching very unhealthy levels. The 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) entered the very unhealthy band of 142-203 at 4am. As of 3pm, the 24-hour PSI was between 172 and 210. The three-hour PSI, which is not tied to a health advisory, stood at 246.