Bernama 30 Dec 15;
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 (Bernama) -- Countries in the region should resolve in the new year to put a stop to the seasonal smog and haze that has been occurring over the years.
Green activist Datuk Seri Ang Lai Soon said this should be the New Year 2016 resolution of the Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean governments - countries mostly affected by the haze - to protect the health of their citizens.
He noted that the problem arose due to the thoughtlessness and inconsideration of some quarters driven by material benefits.
"Establish a group from the nations effected, or those equally concerned, to see that this pernicious practice is stopped once and for all," he said in his 2016 New Year message.
The activist from Sarawak was alluding to the annual large scale land clearing activity that spawns thick haze, choking huge swathes of the region.
Ang said countries with experience in tackling bush fires such as Australia as well as Canada would be ideal to be invited to join in what he described as "this humanitarian mission to help millions of people's health from being damaged by this deliberate man-made disaster".
He said equally important was that such a mission would help protect the much abused and fragile environment and improve the region's economic outlook.
"The success of this exercise will be this region's constructive contribution to the recent historic Paris climate accord, and the greatest gift ever to the millions of innocent people," he said.
"This wanton destruction by man-made fires of the forests and the collateral damage to their flora and fauna must be stopped permanently," he added.
This, he said, called for governments of the affected countries to have strong political will, courage and determination to succeed.
-- BERNAMA
