MANILA (The Thursday Times) — Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto apologised on Sunday to Singapore and Malaysia for the smoke haze from forest and land fires in Indonesia, telling regional leaders at the ASEAN summit in Manila that his government had done its utmost to bring the blazes under control, according to a statement from the Indonesian presidential secretariat.
The statement said Prabowo spoke on behalf of the Indonesian government and people. The fires burned for nearly four months and sent haze across the border to communities in both neighbouring countries. Indonesia is going through its most intense wildfire season in 11 years, with large areas burned across Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua, according to reports.
Prabowo said Jakarta maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards companies involved in the fires. He said 17 corporate concessions have been revoked, 26 companies are under investigation and 11 have been charged, and another 23 are due to be charged. In all, 104 companies are being investigated by police, he said.
Firefighting toll
He said 71,000 personnel have been deployed, 16 firefighters have died, and two helicopters were lost in the effort. Prabowo said Indonesia needed to move from firefighting and damage control towards systematic prevention, and that it is preparing a new agency and programmes to stop future fires.
Regional response
The apology follows an agreement last month between Singapore and Indonesia to set up a joint task force to investigate companies linked to the fires. Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong proposed on Sunday that the task force be widened into an ASEAN-wide platform for sharing information and evidence, so that countries can hold companies accountable. Philippine Foreign Minister Theresa Lazaro said leaders also urged member states to prioritise ratifying the agreement behind an ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control. ASEAN leaders opened their summit in Manila earlier on Sunday.
