Malaysia: Jakarta's assurances sought on fighting haze-causing fires

The Star 10 Oct 15;

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has expressed its deep concern on the recurring haze situation in the region and sought Indonesia's assurances to address land and forest fires in the republic.

In a statement issued at the conclusion of the 14th Meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) here, Kuala Lumpur said it was ready to provide technical support in the form of manpower and equipment to help Indonesia tackle the problem.

"We welcomed Indonesia's ongoing efforts to address land and forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, and bring the perpetrators to justice," said the Foreign Ministry statement.

The meeting was co-chaired by Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman and his Indonesian counterpart Retno L.P. Marsudi.

The statement noted that Malaysia had dispatched a Bombadier amphibious aircraft to assist in water bombing operations in southern Sumatra.

It was reported that Indonesian President Joko Widodo had contacted the Malaysian, Singaporean, Russian and Japanese governments for help to fight fires especially in peatland areas, which are difficult to put out completely.

The president said the kind of assistance needed were aircraft that could carry huge amounts of water.

On another matter, the statement said the foreign ministers remained committed to resolving outstanding maritime boundaries delimitation and land boundary demarcation.

They acknowledged the progress made by the Technical Committee on the delimitation of maritime boundries and the Joint Land Boundary Committee.

Both ministers also discussed issues related to Indonesian workers in the formal sector and domestic workers.

They noted that the Working Group Meeting on Recruitment of Indonesian Workers as well as the 11th Joint Working Group Meeting on Recruitment and Placement of Indonesian Domestic Workers would be held back-to-back in Jakarta on Oct 15 and 16.

The meetings will discuss Malaysia's proposal for what is called the Government-to-Government Plus mechanism, the statement said.

Both sides exchanged views on matters such as Asean, South China Sea, Indian Ocean Rim Association and irregular migration into Southeast Asia. - Bernama


Malaysia, Indonesia discuss boundary issues, ‎haze‬, labour and trade
Both ministers expressed their satisfaction at the state of bilateral cooperation between the two countries, according to Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
Melissa Goh, Malaysia Bureau Chief, Channel NewsAsia 10 Oct 15;

KUALA LUMPUR: Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi has assured neighbouring countries that Jakarta is optimising all efforts to fight haze.

She made the statement after meeting her Malaysian counterpart Anifah Aman at the 14th Meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) on Saturday (Oct 10).

They discussed boundary issues, haze conditions, labour and trade, and expressed their satisfaction at the state of bilateral cooperation between the two countries, according to a press release issued by Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

As Malaysia and Singapore begin to join efforts to douse land and forest fires in South Sumatra, Ms Marsudi expressed her thanks and appreciation and assured its neighbours that Jakarta was doing its level best to tackle the perennial haze problem.

Kuala Lumpur has deployed a 25-member team along with three assets, including a Bombardier aircraft that is capable of sucking up over 6,000 litres of water in 12 seconds, enough to put out fires the size of football field each round, while Singapore has sent a 40-member team with a Chinook helicopter and two C130s.

When asked whether Jakarta has done enough to fight the fires, Ms Marsudi said: "It's very clear we are already using optimal way in our effort in mitigating the haze."

Her close aide said Jakarta has asked for help from Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Russia because it did not want to mobilise its assets and troops that are currently involved in putting out fires in Kalimantan.

Earlier, both Malaysia and Indonesian foreign ministers discussed a host of issues from land and sea boundaries, to recruitment of foreign workers.

Both ministers also noted trade and investment cooperation between both countries including cooperation on infrastructure developments in Indonesia, palm oil and tourism. They also looked at new areas of cooperation, such as the conservation of the Sumatran rhinocerous, according to MFA.

Mr Anifah and Ms Marsudi also exchanged views on regional and international issues such as ASEAN, the South China Sea, Indian Ocean Rim Association and irregular migration into Southeast Asia.

An agreement was signed to further deepen bilateral cooperation between the two ASEAN neighbours.

- CNA/dl/al


Haze improving throughout the country
New Straits Times 10 Oct 15;

KUALA LUMPUR: The air quality throughout the country this morning has improved as no area recorded an unhealthy level of Air Pollutant Index (API) as at 9am today.

A total of 37 areas recorded moderate API readings.

According to the Department of Environment (DoE) website, among areas that recorded moderate API readings were Banting (81), Putrajaya (77), Nilai (76), Port Dickson (76) and Shah Alam (75). A total of 14 areas recorded healthy API readings including Alor Setar, Kedah and Kapit, Sarawak, each recording 50 while Indera Mahkota, Kuantan and Keningau, Sabah with 48 each. An API reading of 0 to 50 indicates good air quality; 51 to 100, moderate; 101 to 200, unhealthy; 201 to 300, very unhealthy and above 300, hazardous.

The public can refer to the DOE portal at apims.doe.gov.my for the latest API reading. -- Bernama