Jakarta, ThedailyID — Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has urged Indonesia and ASEAN to take immediate action to address forest and land fires that have spread haze across neighboring countries.
In a post on X on Thursday, October 8, Anwar said he had spoken with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who agreed to take the necessary measures.
“I have spoken with President Prabowo, who agreed to take the necessary steps. This commitment must be followed by immediate and effective action by Indonesia to address the root causes of the haze, while Malaysia stands ready to cooperate,” Anwar said.
He added that regional coordination should focus on strengthening Indonesia’s efforts to tackle the problem and protecting public health and well-being.
Anwar also asked Malaysia’s foreign minister to contact the ASEAN Secretariat again to arrange a meeting of ASEAN ministers. The meeting would aim to coordinate regional action, particularly efforts to support Indonesia in addressing the haze crisis.
“I have also asked the Foreign Minister to once again contact the ASEAN Secretariat to convene a meeting of ASEAN ministers to coordinate regional action, particularly to strengthen Indonesia’s efforts to address this problem, in order to protect the health and well-being of the people,” Anwar said.
Anwar described the worsening haze as a serious concern because of its impact on the health of Malaysians. He called for coordinated regional measures to address the causes of the haze rather than relying solely on short-term mitigation.
Malaysia has stepped up its response, including through weather modification operations intended to encourage rainfall and help reduce the impact of the haze.
In Indonesia, firefighting operations involve fire crews, disaster management agencies, the Indonesian Military (TNI), and the National Police (Polri). The government is also conducting weather modification operations to support rainfall and help extinguish fires.
The calls from Malaysia highlight the cross-border impact of forest and land fires and the need for cooperation among ASEAN members to address the crisis and protect communities affected by the haze.
