Indonesia: Govt plans to evacuate babies, children to ships

thejakartapost.com 22 Oct 15;

The government has revealed plans to evacuate babies and children affected by haze in Sumatra and Kalimantan to ships owned by the Indonesia Military (TNI) or state-owned shipping firm PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Pelni).

"We will probably utilize ships owned by TNI or Pelni for the next four to five months to evacuate the residents," said Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan after a coordinating meeting with other ministers in Jakarta on Thursday as quoted by kompas.com.

According to Luhut, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has issued a presidential instruction (Inpres) on smoke handling, which served as a legal protection for the ministries to conduct necessary efforts.

He added that the evacuation plan was the government's last resort. The babies and children will firstly be evacuated to the southern region, which has a lower Air Pollutant Standard Index (ISPU).

"If the ISPU [in the southern region] is also severe, then they will be evacuated to the ships," said Luhut.

The government has also prepared other steps, including an education program and sufficient stocks of food and electricity.

"Electricity is important to operate electronic equipment that can clear the air," said Luhut.

He also said that more authority would be given to TNI and the National Police to conduct territorial operations to prevent a wider impact of the forest fires. (kes)(++++)


Smoke thickens, claims another life
Rizal Harahap and Fadli, The Jakarta Post 22 Oct 15;

The smoke produced by forest and peatland fires in many parts of the country has continued to intensify this week, leading to the death of another person in Riau, and severely disrupting activities at a number of airports.

A 9-year-old died on Wednesday morning in Pekanbaru, Riau while undergoing treatment at a local hospital.

Ramadhani Lutfi Aerli, the victim, was admitted to the hospital after coming down with a fever and experiencing breathing difficulties.

“She still went to school on Monday. She was fit at that time. However, yesterday [Tuesday] afternoon she said she was unwell,” Ramadhani’s father, Eri Wirya, told reporters on Wednesday.

Earlier, two Pekanbaru residents — Hanum, an elementary school student, and M. Iqbal Hadi, an employee with the Religious Affairs Ministry’s Riau Office — died due to respiratory failure allegedly triggered by the haze that has been blanketing the province for almost two months.

In response to health concerns, Riau Health Agency head Andra Sjafril has urged people to wear masks both indoors and outdoors.

“The smog has already entered homes,” he said.

Riau, along with West Sumatra, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan, are among the provinces hardest hit by the air pollution originating from fires in peatland and plantations.

Data from the Riau haze emergency post released on Wednesday morning showed that air quality in six out of 12 regions in Riau stood at hazardous levels.

Visibility was also limited to only 500 meters in Pekanbaru and Rengat, 300m in Dumai and 200m in Pelalawan, according to Pekanbaru Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) spokesperson Slamet Riyadi.

Haze has also disrupted activities at Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam, Riau Islands, with many flights scheduled to depart or arrive experiencing cancellations or delays since Aug. 28.

“We have lost some Rp 1.5 billion (US$108,877) in potential income [from airport fees] for almost three months due to the haze,” the airport’s general affairs department head, Suwarso, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

On Friday, the Health Ministry reported that the haze crisis had caused more than 425,000 people in the worst-affected provinces to suffer from acute respiratory infections.

The disaster, meanwhile, has also been exacerbated by this year’s long dry season triggered by the El Niño weather phenomenon, and has recently spread eastward.

Last week, local authorities also closed down Mozes Kilangin International Airport in Timika, Mimika regency, for several days due to thick haze that severely reduced visibility in the area.

Meanwhile in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, thick haze has also deteriorated visibility in the provincial capital to only 10m.

Earlier on Tuesday, the local BMKG station reported that the concentration of particulate matter (PM10) in the city stood above 3,400 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3). Authorities consider air quality “hazardous” when it surpasses 350 µg/m3.

“My eyes hurt even when I stay inside the house,” Yossie, a local, said, as quoted by Antara news agency.

Sunardi, another local, said he was even forced to send his 1-year-old child to Yogyakarta because the haze in Palangkaraya on health fears.

“I don’t like being separated from my child but I had no choice. The air [quality] in Palangkaraya is harmful, especially for infants,” he said.

Nethy Darma Somba in Jayapura contributed to this article


Haze-chocked Inhabitants of C Kalimantan Cry for Help
Fardah Antara 22 Oct 15;

Jakarta (Antara News)- The thick hazardous haze shrouding Central Kalimantan over the past two months has become so unbearable that many inhabitants of the province have desperately called upon the central government to help.

Some residents have even shifted to other areas, including to Java Island.

Over the last three days, the air pollution standard index in Central Kalimantan Province reached a level so hazardous that it could significantly endanger public health.

On Oct. 20 morning in Palangka Raya, the air pollution standard index had reached 1950.33 pm10, while a level of above 300 pm10 is categorically hazardous to health.

With such a deteriorating haze condition, the authorities should have evacuated the entire population affected by the haze.

"All efforts to tackle the haze problem have been concentrated in the Sumatra Island, while Central Kalimantan has been ignored," Chairman of the Central Kalimantan Dayak Customary Council (DAD), Sabran Achmad, said in Central Kalimantan when coordinating a coin collecting campaign on Oct. 21 as a protest against the government.

The province has a vast peatland area which is prone to wildfires.

In a move mocking the government, thousands of people in Palangka Raya, the provincial capital, contributed small change in the form of coins that would be sent to the Environmental Affairs and Forestry Ministry and the Health Ministry in Jakarta.

The two ministries would hopefully use the money, in the form of these coins, to help extinguish forest, peatland and plantation fires that have led to this thick blanket of haze, Director of the Borneo Institute Yanedi Jagau said.

The haze has been chocking the public, leading to frustration, said Jagau.

"The inhabitants of Central Kalimantan could no longer sit idle and accept the condition. Everybody has become frustrated and no longer can anyone bear the thick haze. Hopefully, this protest will make the central government realize the gravity of the situation," Jagau added.

They have demanded that the government must arrange to induce artificial rain to disperse the haze or smoke resulting from forest fires.

"Honestly, we can no longer bear the condition. We beg the government to take expeditious action to make artificial rain, and not sit idle," Ana, a local resident of Pahandut, said on Oct. 20.

The haze is becoming a survival issue, making it difficult for the people to live a normal life, and is particularly affecting the health of the children, she added.

Many people have suffered from respiratory problems, cough and eye irritation as a result of the haze.

In August 2014, artificial rains were induced by sowing some 76.8 tons of salt using Hercules A-1317 aircraft over Central Kalimantan.

"However, this year, the government has not taken a similar step, even though the haze this year is worse. According to data from the local meteorology office, as of 6 a.m., the air pollution standard index had reached 1,950.33 pm10, which means very dangerous," she remarked.

The head of the Environmental and Forestry office of Palangka Raya, Rawang believes that artificial rains could be effective in dealing with the haze.

The authorities in North Barito, South Barito, Sampit, Muara Teweh and Palangka Raya have been frequently closing schools, right from the kindergarten level to senior high school level, due to haze from the forest.

In Palangka Raya, for instance, the schools were closed from September 10-16, September 25-October 6, October 16-17, and again from October 19-21, due to haze.

"Teachers are actually highly concerned since the learning process of the students has been disrupted frequently due to the haze emanating from forest fires," Septia Rianty, a senior high school teacher, affirmed.

She hoped that the government would take stern action so that such a disaster would not recur in the coming years.

Head of the Palangka Raya education office Norma Hikmah remarked that the decision to close the schools was taken to prevent students from falling ill due to air pollution.

On Oct. 16, haze arising from forest and plantation fires in the province drastically reduced visibility to below 50 meters, while the air pollution standard index reached 1,889.06 pm.

A total of 1,042 hotspots were recorded in the province on the morning of October 15 but the number decreased to 45 in the afternoon. However, next day it again rose to 59 hotspots.

At least 50 residents of Sampit, East Kotawaringin District, have evacuated themselves to other places, including to the Java Island, to avoid haze.

"We are forced to evacuate to Yogyakarta (central Java) because the air in Sampit is very dangerous to health. The visibility is just around 20 to 40 meters," Saputro, a local resident, said.

To get out of Central Kalimantan, Saputro and family had to go to Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan Province, by car, braving the haze and passing through roads where fires are razing forests located on both, right and left sides. All airports in Central Kalimantan have been shut down due to the haze.

In the meantime, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung in a hearing at the Parliament in Jakarta on Oct. 19, said the government has done its utmost to extinguish forest fires which have been worsened by the El Nino-induced drought.

The government has deployed at least 24,000 personnel including military and police officers to help put out the fires, he said.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI) has called on all Muslims in the country to perform an Istisqa or mass prayer asking for rains in an effort to extinguish the ongoing forest and land fires, particularly on Sumatra and Kalimantan Islands.

"We urge all Muslims in Indonesia to perform the Istisqa," MUI Chairman KH Maruf Amin told journalists in Jakarta on Oct. 21.

Amin said the Istisqa should be preceded by fasting for three days, saying Istighfar (asking for almighty Gods mercy), improving attitude, and practicing a simple and good life.

Muslims in the country need to also ask for pardon from God, leave all sorts of satanic acts, get rid of conflicting attitude towards other people, and intensify acts of charity towards the poor, he said, adding that the prolonged drought might be the almighty Gods warning to Indonesia.

The council has also urged the Indonesian Government to adopt firm and strategic policies and actions that can end the forest and land fires and help deal with the implications of the fires and the prolonged drought, he said.

As for those responsible for the fires that have caused serious health, economic and environmental problems for Indonesia and other countries, they must be punished in accordance with the existing laws. Similarly, the government was urged to assist those suffering from the impact of the drought, he said. ***4***
(T.F001/A/KR-BSR/A/H-YH) 21-10-2015 22:24:45


Forest fires expand, putting farmers, local residents at risk
Ruslan Sangadji and Syamsul Huda M. Suhari, The Jakarta Post 22 Oct 15;

Despite efforts by local authorities to put out forest fires in several areas in Sulawesi and Java, the disaster has continued to expand over the past few days, burning down local estates and threatening the lives of residents.

In Tolitoli regency, Central Sulawesi, forest fires in the Ogodeide district have spread to clove plantations owned by locals and burned down more than 7,000 clove trees in the Kamalu and Buga subdistricts.

“Local residents initially considered the fires as regular so they did not try to extinguish them,” acting Tolitoli Regent Adijoyo Dauda said on Wednesday.

Adijoyo said residents realized the actual magnitude of the fires after learning that they had quickly burned down dozens of hectares of forest and plantations.

The fires, as of Wednesday, had razed some 400 hectares of forest and plantations, where residents also grow cacao, coconut and durian trees, he added.

In the neighboring Donggala regency, fires also reportedly burned residents’ plantations in a number of subdistricts in the Sindue Tobata district.

Fires have also spread to parts of the forest on Mount Simpuledo, Donggala, and razed several plantations near the area, where cacao, nutmeg, banana and teakwood trees were grown.

The fires, according to Donggala Deputy Regent Vera Laruni, have also been approaching residential areas.

“People have been working hand in hand to extinguish the fires using whatever means available. Their efforts, however, yielded almost nothing as many farms and plants have been burned down by fires,” she said.

Meanwhile in Gorontalo, fires that have been burning since last week have also burned down 150 ha of clove plantations in North Gorontalo regency, damaging at least 6,000 ready-to-harvest clove trees.

North Gorontalo Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) emergency section head Nurdin said the fires had been triggered by a land clearance burn carried out by a local farmer, identified as Y, a resident of Sumalata district. “The suspect has been detained at the Sumalata Police office,” he said.

Meanwhile, in Central Java, local authorities on Wednesday finally managed to rescue 20 hikers who were trapped on Mt. Lawu by a forest fire on the slopes of the volcano, located at the border of Central Java and East Java.

The hikers were found after authorities deployed around 300 volunteers in a joint search and rescue mission earlier this week.

“They all survived, although many of them ran out of supplies,” state-owned plantation company PT Perhutani Lawu’s spokesperson Eko Susanto said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

- See more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/10/22/forest-fires-expand-putting-farmers-local-residents-risk.html#sthash.fmNUamCc.dpuf


Indonesia deploys fresh batch of soldiers to extinguish forest fires
Antara 22 Oct 15;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Military has deployed thousands of soldiers to extinguish forest fires in South Sumatra since last September.

"According to a Letter from the Indonesian Military Chief No TR/1418/2015 about the soldiers rotation in the forest fires extinguish task force, we are replacing 1,059 officers, who have been on duty since last September," the Operation Assistant for Indonesian Military Chief, Major General Fransen Siahaan, said on Thursday.

Fransen said an inauguration ceremony for the same had been held at the Halim Perdanakusuma airbase, Jakarta, where TNI leaders believe that all soldiers took the military oath and will finish the task to the best of their abilities.

There are at least 600 personnel, who have been deployed from 2 SSY Kostrad (Army), ten personnel from the Kostrad Command Headquarter and 330 personnel from 1 SSY Indonesian Marine have been deployed in the field for a month and a half.

Fransen asked the soldiers to wear safety equipment to extinguish the fires and prioritize security conditions.

He added that Military Commander, General Gatot Nurmantyo had coordinated with President Joko Widodo in relation to the rotation of soldiers.

Till date, the area that has had the worst air condition due to pollution by haze emanating from forest fires located in the South Sumatra Province.

Additionally, Fransen said, the TNI Commander has also deployed 2,000 soldiers to extinguish forest fires in the Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan Provinces.

"During the last inspection to South Sumatra, which attended by the President, the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister, and the TNI Commander, we found that the haze conditions in the province had worsened and pollution had increased," Fransen said.

The Indonesian Military will also replace several soldiers in the fire extinguishing task force in Riau Province, South Kalimantan, as well as in Central Kalimantan on October 27.

Fransen said General Gatot had asked the soldiers to utilize any potential treatment to extinguish the fires.

General Gatot has also commanded the Military Police to arrest the persons accused of burning forests across all Indonesian regions.(*)


TNI builds canals and water basins to tackle fires in S. Sumatra
thejakartapost.com 22 Oct 15;

The Indonesian Military (TNI) has been focusing on building canals and water retention basins in the burning peatlands in South Sumatra as it is an effective way to fight forest and land fires, an official said on Thursday.

"Building canals and water basins is effective enough to lower the hot spots by 70 percent," Maj. Gen. Fransen G Siahaan, the operational assistant to the TNI chief, said on Thursday as reported by kompas.com.

He explained that canals, 3 meters to 12 m wide and 3 m deep, could prevent fires from spreading.

He said water bombing and cloud seeding were the main operations to extinguish the fires, however the inflammable peatlands hampered the operations.

"If you look from above, the hot spots seem to be decreasing but the fire is actually still spreading underneath," he said.

South Sumatra is the province with highest numbers of hot spots in Sumatra, with 572 hot spots out of 656 hot spots recorded on Thursday, according to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

Meanwhile, TNI chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo on Thursday swapped 1,059 soldiers assigned in South Sumatra with a new batch of 1,000 soldiers.

TNI also assigned another 2,000 soldiers to help tackle the fires in Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan. (edn/rin)(++++)


North Maluku airport closed due to haze
Antara 22 Oct 15;

Ternate, N Maluku (ANTARA News) - North Malukus Babullah Airport was shut down on Thursday morning for flights, due to a thick haze shrouding the airport area.

The Head of the Babullah Airport, Rasburhany said on Thursday that the haze blanketing the airport had reduced visibility to 800 meters, due to which no flights were allowed to take off or land.

He added that based on the rules, the safe visibility for flights would be about 5,000 meters.

As a result of the airports closure, no flights from Jakarta, Makassar and Surabaya could land at the airports. As a result, they had to be diverted to the Sam Ratulangi airport of Manado, North Sulawesi, he added.(*)


MUI calls for Indonesian Muslims to pray for rain to tackle haze
thejakartapost.com 22 Oct 15;

The Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI) calls on Muslims to conduct a prayer for rain to help manage the haze crisis in the country, a top official of the organization said on Wednesday.

MUI chairman Maruf Amin said that it took a special effort to end the forest and land fires, which caused much of Sumatra and Kalimantan to be covered in haze over the past three months.

"Considering the current condition of Indonesia, MUI urged Muslims to conduct an istisqa prayer [a prayer for rain]," he said as reported by state news agency Antara on Wednesday evening.

Maruf said Muslims should fast for three days before the prayer. Muslims in Indonesia should say Istighfar [ask for God's mercy], be polite and live a modest life, he said.

MUI also called on everyone to repent, to ask for God's forgiveness from all sins, to give more alms and to leave behind all bad deeds.

"The prolonged dry season that is happening to our country might be a warning from God," he said.

Maruf urged the government to have firm and strategic policies to help end the bad impact of the long dry season.

The firm actions, he said, could be legal enforcement by charging everyone behind the forest and land fires and supporting the poor people's economy. (rin)(++++)



Humanitarian crisis looms in haze-hit Indonesia
Francis Chan, The Straits Times/ANN Jakarta Post 23 Oct 15;

A humanitarian crisis looms in Indonesia as the prolonged dry spell, coupled with waterbombing aircraft getting nowhere near fires seething deep below peat lands, all but ended any hope of a real respite from the haze in the weeks ahead.

Schools in parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan, two of the worst-hit areas this year, were ordered to suspend classes from today. But if conditions worsen, and as a last resort, there are plans to evacuate babies and children from affected areas to ships belonging to the military or state-owned shipping firm PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan gave the bleak assessment at a briefing on the haze crisis on Thursday, after a high-level meeting involving ministers and key government officials.

"This is a humanitarian effort, we are thinking about our children, we may move them to places with safer ISPU levels," he said, referring to Indonesia's air pollution standard index. "We cannot wait."

Mr Luhut added that a massive endeavor is needed to deal with the fires, and Indonesia has a critical five-week period ahead before the rains return. This, after the latest forecast by the country's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency showed there would be no rain until the end of next month.

National Disaster Management Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told The Straits Times that there were more than 2,740 hot spots detected across Indonesia Thursday morning.

Thick smoke from the raging fires has spread across many parts of South-east Asia. Southern Thailand is recording its worst haze levels in a decade, prompting the Thai authorities to urge Indonesia to do more to mitigate the crisis. Similarly, Malaysia's northern states such as Penang saw air quality hitting "very unhealthy" levels on Thursday.

The forest and peat land fires, resulting from slash-and-burn methods to clear land for cultivation, have prevailed despite hundreds of sorties undertaken by waterbombers as part of a multilateral operation to put out the fires.

"Fires on peatland are very difficult to douse, plus our peat land can be as deep as 5m, 10m... It is almost impossible to douse the fire by air," said Mr Luhut, who has been leading his country's efforts to resolve the crisis. He called for more international assistance yesterday, specifically from Canada, which has experience in fighting peat land fires.

Indonesian Minister for Education and Culture Anies Baswedan yesterday reminded schools not to "prioritize education over health".

This after he found out that some schools had stayed open because of the annual examinations. (k)


Indonesia may evacuate more residents in haze-affected areas: Minister
Massive response needs to be taken to mitigate the humanitarian crisis caused by the forest fires after a report indicated there was little possibility of rain before the end of November, said Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs.
Saifulbahri Ismail Channel NewsAsia 22 Oct 15;

JAKARTA: Indonesia may evacuate more people affected by the thick haze in an effort to mitigate the humanitarian crisis caused by the forest fires in the country, said Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan on Thursday (Oct 22).

Speaking to reporters at a news conference Mr Luhut said massive and measured action needed to be taken, after a report from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) indicated there was little possibility of rain before the end of November.

"There has to be a massive response to overcome this,” said Mr Luhut. “That's why we met today because the weather forecast indicate there is little possibility of rain until the end of November."

He added: "That means the next five weeks will be critical for us, we have to act now, we cannot wait."

The minister explained that evacuations would focus first on infants and children. He said he was even considering using battle ships from the navy and vessels from the police as temporary shelter for the next five to six weeks for those affected by the haze.

The Health Ministry is expected to issue air pollution standards for the local governments to follow as an indication of when they need to start evacuating people. Mr Luhut added that relevant agencies would have to ensure there is enough food for the people, and no interruption in electricity so that air conditioners and air purifiers can continue to operate.

In his update on fire-fighting operations, Mr Luhut said that water bombing efforts would not be able to put out the forest fires completely, adding that those efforts had limited impact in curbing the spread of the fires.

The minister said the forest fires have caused some parts of the peatlands to burn as deep as 10 metres below ground and that heavy rainfall for a few days at a stretch is what is needed to put these fires out.

At the same news conference, Education and Culture Minister Anies Baswedan said that all school activities would stop when the air quality reaches a certain level. Mr Anies said students do not have to worry about being left behind in their studies when schools need to be closed.

Students affected by the haze will not be judged the same in their exams, as their standards will be different compared to other students from schools not affected by the haze. Mr Anies also noted that some teachers still continue to conduct classes as they are worried about getting paid less for the reduced number of teaching hours.

He reassured them that their salaries would not be cut. He also told reporters the Education Ministry has prepared special TV programmes that students can watch at home when schools need to be closed.

- CNA/rw


Indonesians in worst haze spots to be evacuated
Today Online 22 Oct 15;

JAKARTA — The Indonesian government will evacuate more people affected by the thick haze in the worst-hit areas of Sumatra and Kalimantan as a last resort in order to mitigate the humanitarian crisis caused by the forest fires, said Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan today (Oct 22).

Speaking to reporters at a news conference Mr Luhut said massive and measured action needed to be taken, after a report from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) indicated there was little possibility of rain before the end of next month.

“There has to be a massive response to overcome this,” said Mr Luhut today. “That’s why we (the relevant ministers) met today because the weather forecast indicate there is little possibility of rain until the end of November.”

He added: “That means the next five weeks will be critical for us, we have to act now, we cannot wait.”

Late last month, officials in Riau province evacuated babies under six months of age and their mothers as the air pollution index hovered above 1,000. Those evacuated were housed in a makeshift nursery in a town hall equipped with air conditioners, cribs and a health clinic.

The minister explained that next wave of planned evacuations in Sumatra and Kalimantan would first focus on infants and children. Those evacuated may be moved to the southern part of the region, which has a lower Air Pollutant Standard Index (ISPU).

“If the ISPU [in the southern region] is also severe, then they will be evacuated to the ships,” said Mr Luhut.

He explained that he was considering using battle ships from the navy and vessels from the police as temporary shelter for the next five to six weeks to house those affected by the haze.

Vessels under state-owned shipping firm PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Pelni) may also be commandeered for the effort.

According to Mr Luhut, President Joko Widodo has issued a presidential instruction on smoke handling, which will serve as a legal protection for the ministries to carry out necessary actions to mitigate the effects of the haze.

The Indonesian Health Ministry is expected to issue air pollution standards for the local governments to follow as an indication of when they need to start evacuating people. Mr Luhut added that relevant agencies would have to ensure there is enough food for the people, and no interruption in electricity so that air conditioners and air purifiers can continue to operate.

In his update on fire-fighting operations, Mr Luhut said that water bombing efforts would not be able to put out the forest fires completely, adding that those efforts had limited impact in curbing the spread of the fires.

The minister said the forest fires have caused some parts of the peatlands to burn as deep as 10 metres below ground and that heavy rainfall for a few days at a stretch is what is needed to put these fires out.

The government has also prepared other steps, including an education program and sufficient stocks of food and electricity.

“Electricity is important to operate electronic equipment that can clear the air,” said Mr Luhut.

At the same news conference, Education and Culture Minister Anies Baswedan said that all school activities would stop when the air quality reaches a certain level. Mr Anies said students do not have to worry about being left behind in their studies when schools need to be closed.

Students affected by the haze will not be judged the same in their exams, as their standards will be different compared to other students from schools not affected by the haze. Mr Anies also noted that some teachers still continue to conduct classes as they are worried about getting paid less for the reduced number of teaching hours.

He reassured teachers that their salaries would not be cut. He also told reporters the Education Ministry has prepared special television programmes that students can watch at home when schools need to be closed. AGENCIES